bog laurel
- noun
- US
:
laurel de pantano
- The pale leaves of the bog laurel have a glaucous underside.
Examples
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We spotted a beautiful bog laurel blooming by the lake's edge.
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I saw a bog laurel while hiking in Oregon.
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Hikers are warned not to touch the bog laurel as it can be toxic.
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The bog laurel blooms beautifully in spring.
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The small, purple flowers of the bog laurel attract many pollinators during the summer.
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As we walked through the wetland, we noticed the distinctive glaucous leaves of the bog laurel shining in the sunlight.
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In early spring, the bog laurel bursts into bloom, covering the area with vibrant purple blossoms.
Synonyms
A low evergreen shrub that grows in wet bogs and has small purple flowers and pale leaves
A low-growing shrub in bogs of the northwest United States with small purple flowers and pale blue-green leaves below
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'bog' (a damp peatland) + 'laurel' (an evergreen plant): it denotes a laurel that grows in boggy areas, which matches the given definition. This noun–noun naming pattern for plants (habitat + species) is common cross-linguistically and therefore a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Bog laurel: The name bog laurel comes from bog ('a wet, marshy place') and laurel ('a plant with shiny leaves'). So, it is a small shrub with pale leaves and purple flowers that looks a bit like a laurel and usually grows in bogs, which is why we call it bog laurel.
