chaparral
2
9.5
- noun
- /ˌʃæpəˈræl/
- Specialized
:
chaparral
- Sadly, Southern CA once boasted ecosystems of chaparral and oak woodland, second in living diversity only to tropical rainforests.
- oak chaparral
- chaparral communities
Examples
-
The warm summer air outside smelled of herbs and the dry flowers of chaparral.
Fiction book (1994) -
On your right, we've got some chaparral.
-
The foot of the mountain was a mile's walk through the chaparral, a pleasant stroll.
Fiction book (1999) -
Without an active dispersal agent for key plant species, the return of chaparral and forest communities to their former extent is likely to be slow.
Academic text (2011) -
However, once the exotic livestock were removed, the chaparral communities regenerated rapidly.
Academic text (1998) -
The park has beautiful redwood, oak, and chaparral, as well as an 80-foot waterfall that falls into the ocean.
Blog text (27) -
On the southwest-facing slope and in the surrounding hills, chaparral and oak-grassland communities predominate.
Academic text (1994) -
Frankie and I hiked up to where the oak trees and chaparral flecked the maize-colored hills surrounding the valley.
Fiction book (2000) -
Flycatchers and hummingbirds flitted in the roadside chaparral, and grackles chattered.
Fiction book (1999) -
As we hiked down the trail, we passed through dense chaparral that made the path nearly impassable.
Synonyms
180
3.7
Wild land with many small trees and thick plants far from towns
29
6.2
Low, thick bushes and small trees that grow on dry land
Compounds
- Specialized
A spreading evergreen shrub with small clusters of white flowers that grows in dry places
- Archaic
A fast ground bird called a roadrunner that lives in dry parts of the United States and Mexico
A spiny bush with bright rose and purple flowers that forms dense thickets on dry, rocky California slopes
How Dense
Surface Forms
Etymology
Chaparral comes from the Spanish word chaparro, meaning 'dwarf oak' or 'small bush', and originally from an old Basque word for 'bush'. So think of low, thick bushes; that is why chaparral means a dense area of short, bushy plants in dry places.