Populus trichocarpa
- noun
- Specialized
:
álamo de trichocarpa
- The leaves of Populus trichocarpa are lustrous green on top and silvery underneath.
Examples
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The Populus trichocarpa thrives along riverbanks in the Pacific Northwest.
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Did you know the Populus trichocarpa can grow up to 30 meters tall?
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Researchers studied the growth patterns of Populus trichocarpa in different climates.
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The Populus trichocarpa thrives in riparian zones.
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Researchers studied the growth patterns of Populus trichocarpa in different climates.
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The Populus trichocarpa thrives along riverbanks in the Pacific Northwest.
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The leaves of Populus trichocarpa are lustrous green on top and silvery underneath.
Synonyms
A tall tree from western North America with dark glossy leaves and silvery or rusty undersides
How Glossy
Surface Forms
Morphology
Populus + trichocarpa
This is a taxonomic Latin binomial: the first element 'Populus' clearly identifies the genus (poplars), so a learner who knows that would infer it names a type of poplar. The species epithet 'trichocarpa' is non‑English/technical (and not glossed here), so its specific descriptive sense is not predictable to a B1 learner, making the overall expression only partially compositional.
Etymology
Populus trichocarpa is a scientific name made from the parts Populus, the poplar tree, and trichocarpa, which means 'hairy fruit' because the tree's seed pods are full of fine hairs that float like cotton. So the name gives a clear picture of a poplar with fluffy seeds and explains why scientists use that name today.