foxtail grass

7.1

A grass with a thick flower head that looks like a fox's tail

noun

Specialized

: hierba cola de zorro

Farmers often find foxtail grass to be beneficial for providing cover for young animals.

Examples

S (COLOR): Good vole habitat, the field above has been clear for about a year and is dominated by plants such as mustard and foxtail grass.

Academic text (2002)
The field was filled with tall foxtail grass, swaying gently in the summer breeze.
During our nature walk, we spotted foxtail grass growing along the trail, its fluffy spikes resembling a fox's tail.

Synonyms

foxtail

vsfoxtail grass

Specialized

1 7.6

A grass with a long, brushlike seed head that looks like a fox's tail

is the common term for that same grass type rather than a genus

Alopecurus

vsfoxtail grass

Specialized

9.9

A group of grass plants like foxtail, some used in gardens and as weeds

is the common name for the grass itself not the scientific genus

How Bristly

foxtail barley

Specialized

9.3

foxtail grass

Specialized

7.1

meadow grass

1 3.4

lawn

464 1.0

Surface Forms

foxtail grass singular

foxtail grasses plural

Morphology

foxtail + grass

The noun is fully compositional: it denotes a grass that has a foxtail-like (dense, bristly) flowering spike. Given the provided meanings of 'foxtail' and 'grass', the overall sense is directly derivable and follows a common noun–noun compounding pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the parts will understand it.

Etymology

Foxtail grass gets its name from its long, brush-like flower head that looks like a fox's tail. So the name helps you remember it is 'a grass with a tail-like spike'.