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Glite Dictionary
Torrey pine

Torrey pine

9.9
A rare pine tree from southern California with long needles and large cones
  • noun
  • /ˈtɔri paɪn/
  • US
translation icon : pino de Torrey
  • Due to its unique characteristics, the Torrey pine is protected by conservation efforts.

Examples

  • The Torrey pine is notable for its long, slender needles that grow in groups of five.

  • We visited the Torrey pine forest, where we saw many of these rare trees thriving.

  • However, community activist and development consultant Joe LaCava said there is no specific language that says a private property owner has to "preserve and protect" iconic trees, including La Jolla's endangered Torrey pines.

    Blog text (14)

Synonyms

Pinus torreyana
vsTorrey pine
  • Specialized
9.9

A medium-sized pine tree from southern California with five needles in each group and long cones

is the everyday common name rather than the Latin form
Torrey's pine
vsTorrey pine
  • Specialized
9.2

A medium pine tree from coastal California with long cones and clusters of five needles

is the standard non possessive common name used broadly

Surface Forms

Torrey pine singular
Torrey pines plural

Morphology

Torrey + pine

The phrase is a proper-name modifier plus a common noun: 'Torrey' (a name/place) + 'pine' (a tree). A B1 learner who knows 'pine' will readily infer that this denotes a type or variety of pine tree even if they don't know the specific botanical details, so the basic meaning is transparently derived from the constituents.

Etymology

Torrey pine is named after a plant scientist, John Torrey, who studied this rare tree on the California coast. The word pine shows it is a kind of pine, so the name 'Torrey' tells you which particular rare pine people mean today.