cabbage tree
- noun
- New Zealand
:
árbol de repollo
- The cabbage tree is instantly recognizable by its long, spiky leaves and tall, slender trunk.
Examples
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Several birds nest in the branches of the cabbage tree throughout the year.
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In New Zealand, many gardens feature a mature cabbage tree as a striking focal point.
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The cabbage tree is a beautiful sight in spring.
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Have you ever seen a cabbage tree in bloom?
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The cabbage tree is known for its tall stature and clusters of fragrant white flowers.
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In New Zealand, the cabbage tree grows in various environments, flourishing with its long, narrow leaves.
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Visitors to the gardens often admire the cabbage tree for its elegant appearance and colorful blooms.
Synonyms
A tall New Zealand tree with long narrow leaves and fragrant flower clusters
A New Zealand tall plant with a trunk and top clusters of long leaves and scented flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
cabbage + tree
As a noun compound, a B1 learner who knows 'cabbage' and 'tree' can transparently infer that this is a kind or type of tree related in some way to 'cabbage' (i.e. a tree named for or associated with cabbage-like features). However, the detailed botanical properties in the given definition (tropical habit, toxic/unpleasant-smelling bark, medicinal uses) are not predictable from the constituents, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Cabbage tree may get its name because the tall plant has a tight crown of long leaves and a soft inner shoot that looked like cabbage. Maori and early settlers sometimes ate that inner shoot like a vegetable, so the name came to mean this New Zealand tree.
