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Glite Dictionary
Rhus aromatica

Rhus aromatica

9.9
A small shrub with scented leaves, yellow green flower spikes and red hairy berries
  • noun
  • /rəs əˈrɒmətɪkə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Rhus aromática
  • The leaves of Rhus aromatica give off a pleasant scent when crushed.

Examples

  • Gardeners often plant Rhus aromatica for its colourful foliage and fragrant flowers.

  • Birds are attracted to the red, hairy fruits produced by Rhus aromatica.

  • The Rhus aromatica plant thrives in well-drained soil.

  • I found a beautiful Rhus aromatica in the park.

  • Birds are attracted to the red, hairy fruits produced by Rhus aromatica.

  • Gardeners often plant Rhus aromatica for its colourful foliage and fragrant flowers.

  • The leaves of Rhus aromatica give off a pleasant scent when crushed.

Synonyms

lemon sumac
vsRhus aromatica
  • US
8.1

A small tree or shrub with leaves made of three parts, thin yellow-green flower clusters, and red hairy fruit

has aromatic leaves described in general rather than a sweet scent
fragrant sumac
vsRhus aromatica
  • US
7.7

A low shrub with three-part leaves and red fruit that smell sweet when crushed

describes the plant by aromatic leaves rather than its low shrub habit

Surface Forms

Rhus aromatica singular
Rhus aromaticas plural

Morphology

Rhus + aromatica

This is a compositional botanical name: the genus 'Rhus' (sumac) combined with the adjective-like epithet 'aromatica' (Latin cognate of 'aromatic') yields the meaning 'aromatic sumac'. The pattern (noun + descriptive epithet) is regular in scientific names and cross-linguistically recognizable, so a learner who knows the constituents can infer the species’ characteristic.

Etymology

Rhus aromatica gets its name from old words: Rhus was the old word for 'sumac', and aromatica means 'fragrant' because the leaves give a strong smell when crushed. So the name tells you it is a scented sumac.