Clusia major

9.9

A tropical tree from the Americas with glossy leaves and single white or pink flowers

noun

Specialized

: Clusia major

Clusia major is a tropical tree that produces striking white flowers during the rainy season.

Examples

The glossy leaves of Clusia major make it a popular ornamental tree in tropical gardens.
Researchers studied the pollination patterns of Clusia major in different regions.
Clusia major is valued for its resilience to salt spray along coastal areas.
The Clusia major is known for its beautiful flowers.
Have you seen a Clusia major in bloom?
The hardy Clusia major thrives in coastal environments where few other plants can survive.
Botanists have noted that the flowers of Clusia major attract various pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

Surface Forms

Clusia major singular

Morphology

Clusia + major

This is a Latin binomial: the genus name 'Clusia' combined with the adjective 'major' (meaning larger/greater). A learner who knows 'Clusia' as a tree genus and 'major' as 'large/greater' can infer it denotes a particular (likely larger) species of Clusia, and scientific names of this form are highly compositional and cross-linguistically regular.

Etymology

Clusia major comes from the name of a plant scientist called 'Clusius'; Clusia honors him and major means 'larger'. The name gives a simple picture of a bigger Clusia tree with glossy leaves and single white or rose flowers, often found near the sea.