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Glite Dictionary
Lithocarpus glaber

Lithocarpus glaber

9.9
A small evergreen tree from China and Japan related to the beech tree
  • noun
  • Specialized
: Lithocarpus glaber
  • The leaves of Lithocarpus glaber are glossy and remain green all year round.

Examples

  • The acorns of Lithocarpus glaber provide food for many woodland animals.

  • Botanists studied the distribution of Lithocarpus glaber in the forests of Japan.

  • The Lithocarpus glaber is known for its glossy leaves.

  • Have you seen a Lithocarpus glaber in bloom?

  • Botanists studied the distribution of Lithocarpus glaber in the forests of Japan.

  • The acorns of Lithocarpus glaber provide food for many woodland animals.

  • The leaves of Lithocarpus glaber are glossy and remain green all year round.

Synonyms

Lithocarpus glabra
vsLithocarpus glaber
  • Specialized
9.9

A small evergreen tree from China and Japan in the beech family

has identical botanical description using a masculine name ending

Surface Forms

Lithocarpus glaber singular
Lithocarpus glabers plural

Morphology

Lithocarpus + glaber

The genus name 'Lithocarpus' identifies this as a type of tree in the beech family, so a learner who knows the constituents would reasonably infer it denotes a species of tree. However, the species epithet 'glaber' is a Latin adjective (undefined here) and the precise characterization (small evergreen native to China and Japan) and geographic information are not predictable from the parts alone; botanical Latin names are technical and only partially transparent to B1 learners.

Etymology

Lithocarpus glaber is a scientific name made from old Greek and Latin words: litho- means 'stone' and -carpus means 'fruit', because the tree makes hard, stone-like acorns, and glaber means 'smooth', for its shiny leaves. That's why the name fits this small evergreen tree native to China and Japan.