Acer negundo Californicum

9.9

A maple tree that grows on the US Pacific coast and has white ripe fruits

noun

Specialized

: arce negundo californiano

The Acer negundo Californicum is known for its pale fruits that turn white as they ripen.

Examples

In California, the Acer negundo Californicum provides important habitat for local wildlife.
Botanists studied the Acer negundo Californicum to learn more about regional plant diversity.
Look at that stunning Acer negundo Californicum over there!
What a beautiful Acer negundo Californicum!
In California, the Acer negundo Californicum provides important habitat for local wildlife.
The Acer negundo Californicum is known for its pale fruits that turn white as they ripen.
Botanists studied the Acer negundo Californicum to learn more about regional plant diversity.

Synonyms

California box elder

vsAcer negundo Californicum

8.6

A maple tree that grows on the Pacific coast of the United States with white fruit

is a narrower botanical variety rather than a full species

Surface Forms

Acer negundo Californicum singular

Acer negundo Californicums plural

Morphology

Acer + negundo + Californicum

This is a Latin binomial (scientific name) where only 'Acer' (maple) is lexical and 'negundo' and 'Californicum' are taxonomic epithets rather than ordinary English words; even knowing 'Acer' and that 'Californicum' suggests a Californian origin does not allow a B1 learner to derive the specific meaning or distinguishing features (box elder variety with white mature fruits). Taxonomic names are lexicalized referents rather than compositional phrases, so the overall meaning is unpredictable from the constituents.

Etymology

Acer negundo Californicum is a scientific name from Latin: Acer means 'maple', negundo is the species often called 'box elder', and Californicum shows it is 'from California'. So the name points to a special box elder maple from California, which fits the tree's pale white fruits today.