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Prunus besseyi

Prunus besseyi

9.9
A small garden shrub with sweet, edible fruits like small plums
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Prunus besseyi
  • The Prunus besseyi shrub produces fruit that is prized for making jams and preserves.

Examples

  • The sweet fruit of Prunus besseyi attracts birds and wildlife in the spring.

  • I planted a Prunus besseyi in my backyard last spring.

  • Many gardeners plant Prunus besseyi for its attractive flowers and edible berries.

  • The garden features a beautiful Prunus besseyi shrub.

  • Many gardeners plant Prunus besseyi for its attractive flowers and sweet, edible berries.

  • The Prunus besseyi shrub produces large fruit that is prized for making delicious jams.

  • In the spring, the sweet fruit of Prunus besseyi attracts various birds and wildlife.

Synonyms

Western sand cherry
vsPrunus besseyi
  • US
7.7

A small bush that makes sweet red, black, or yellow fruits you can eat

has the same description but uses a different name
Rocky Mountains cherry
vsPrunus besseyi
  • Specialized
7.4

A small ornamental shrub from western USA with sweet black, red, or yellow fruit

has the same meaning but uses an alternate name

Surface Forms

Morphology

Prunus + besseyi

The first element 'Prunus' signals the genus (trees/shrubs/fruits), so a learner who knows that can infer this is a kind of Prunus plant. The species epithet 'besseyi' is a proper Latinized name with no lexical meaning for learners, and it does not convey the specific traits (dwarf, ornamental, fruit color/taste), so the full meaning is only partially derivable.

Etymology

Prunus besseyi comes from a Latin plant name and a person's name. Prunus is an old word for 'plum' and besseyi probably honors the plant scientist Charles Bessey, so the name means 'Bessey's plum' and helps you remember this small shrub has plum-like edible fruit.