Prunus spinosa
- noun
- Specialized
:
espino negro
- The hedgerows were thick with Prunus spinosa, their branches heavy with ripe sloes.
Examples
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In early spring, Prunus spinosa dazzles with a cloud of small white blossoms.
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Farmers often plant Prunus spinosa to create dense, protective boundaries around their fields.
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I spotted a Prunus spinosa bush in the garden.
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The Prunus spinosa produces small, sweet fruits.
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Farmers often plant Prunus spinosa to create dense, protective boundaries around their fields.
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The hedgerows were thick with Prunus spinosa, their branches heavy with ripe sloes.
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In early spring, Prunus spinosa dazzles with a cloud of small white blossoms.
Synonyms
1
8.2
A thorny shrub from Europe and Asia with small white flowers and dark blue fruits like small plums
A small thorny bush that makes dark purple sour berries used for gin
How Edible
1
1.1
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
Prunus + spinosa
The name is a straight binomial: Prunus (a genus of trees/shrubs) + spinosa (Latin for 'spiny' or 'thorny'), so if a learner knows both constituents the meaning 'a spiny Prunus shrub (blackthorn/sloe)' is directly derivable. Note, however, that 'spinosa' is a Latin species epithet and often absent from learner dictionaries, so the form is domain-specific even though compositionally transparent when the parts are known.
Etymology
Prunus spinosa comes from two Latin words: Prunus meaning 'plum' and spinosa meaning 'thorny'. So the name paints a simple picture — a small, plum-like bush with sharp branches, which fits the shrub that bears blue-black fruits called 'sloes' and was often used as a thick, protective hedge.