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coyote brush

coyote brush

9.2
A spreading evergreen shrub with small flowers that grows on dry hills in the southwestern United States
  • noun
  • /kaɪˈoʊti brʌʃ/
  • US
translation icon : arbusto coyote
  • The coyote brush thrives in arid climates.

Examples

  • Many birds nest in the coyote brush.

  • Many gardeners plant coyote brush for erosion control and native landscaping.

  • The hillsides were covered in coyote brush after the recent rains.

  • Wildlife often take shelter under the dense foliage of coyote brush.

  • The coyote brush grows abundantly in the deserts of the southwestern United States.

  • During spring, the coyote brush is covered in small yellow flowers that attract pollinators.

  • Many gardeners use coyote brush to provide natural erosion control on steep hillsides.

Synonyms

Baccharis pilularis
vscoyote brush
  • Specialized
9.9

A spreading evergreen shrub with small flower clusters that grows on California coastal hills

is the common regional name for the same shrub
kidney wort
vscoyote brush
  • US
9.9

A low evergreen shrub that spreads widely with many small flower clusters

refers to the same shrub but uses a different name
coyote bush
vscoyote brush
  • US
9.5

An evergreen bush with small clustered flowers that spreads in the southwestern United States

uses a different common variant name for that shrub
chaparral broom
vscoyote brush
  • Specialized
9.9

A spreading evergreen shrub with small clusters of white flowers that grows in dry places

is a general shrub name not limited to chaparral habitats

Surface Forms

coyote brush singular

Morphology

coyote + brush

The noun phrase is a straightforward noun–noun compound: 'coyote' (an animal) + 'brush' (thicket/shrub), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it is a type of shrub or thicket associated with coyotes. This follows regular, cross-linguistically common naming patterns for plants/vegetation, so the basic meaning is transparently derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Coyote brush may come from watching coyote use thick brush as cover, a clear picture of the animal in low shrubs. That's why the name now means this spreading evergreen 'shrub' that helps hold soil and gives shelter to wildlife.