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Glite Dictionary
Clethra alnifolia

Clethra alnifolia

9.9
A shrub from eastern US coasts with clusters of fragrant white flowers
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Clethra alnifolia
  • Gardeners often plant Clethra alnifolia for its sweet-smelling summer blossoms.

Examples

  • In July, the Clethra alnifolia attracts many butterflies to its white flower spikes.

  • The Clethra alnifolia thrives in moist, acidic soils along the Atlantic seaboard.

  • The Clethra alnifolia blooms beautifully in the summer.

  • I planted a Clethra alnifolia in my garden last year.

  • Gardeners often plant Clethra alnifolia for its sweet-smelling summer blossoms.

  • In July, the Clethra alnifolia attracts many butterflies to its white flower spikes.

  • The Clethra alnifolia thrives in moist, acidic soils along the Atlantic seaboard.

Synonyms

pepper bush
vsClethra alnifolia
  • US
7.5

A shrub with sweet-smelling white flower spikes that attract insects

describes the flowers as compact clusters instead of long spike-like arrangements
sweet pepperbush
vsClethra alnifolia
  • US
9.6

A bush with spikes of sweet-smelling white flowers that grows near streams and coasts and attracts bees

is more neutral, focusing on flowers themselves rather than on attractiveness
summer sweet
vsClethra alnifolia
  • US
8.4

A bush with fragrant white flowers that bloom in summer

does not stress summer-only flowering or the seasonal leaf loss

How Fragrant

jasmine
51 2.7
gardenia
2 6.0
Clethra alnifolia
  • Specialized
9.9
lilac
26 1.6

Surface Forms

Clethra alnifolia singular
Clethra alnifolias plural

Morphology

Clethra + alnifolia

This is a scientific Latin binomial (genus + species) rather than a compositional English phrase; the species epithet 'alnifolia' is not an English lexical item and does not transparently convey the shrub's features to a B1 learner. Even if a learner knew 'Clethra' as a shrub name, the full meaning 'a particular shrub species native to eastern/southern U.S.' and its descriptive properties cannot be derived from the parts, so the expression is idiomatic/lexicalized in taxonomy.

Etymology

Clethra alnifolia may come from old words that mean 'alder' and 'leaf', so alnifolia means 'alder-leaved' because its leaves look like an alder's. That's why the name fits this coastal shrub with sweet-smelling white flowers.