laurel cherry
- noun
- /ˈlɔːrəl ˈʧɛri/
- Specialized
:
cerezo de laurel
- The laurel cherry is a popular choice for ornamental hedges in the southern states.
Examples
-
Gardeners like to plant laurel cherry for its glossy green foliage and dense form.
-
The berries of the laurel cherry closely resemble those of true cherries, but are not edible.
-
The laurel cherry tree thrives in warm climates.
-
Many gardeners choose laurel cherries for their landscaping.
-
Many landscapers recommend planting laurel cherry for its attractive, glossy leaves and ability to thrive in southern climates.
-
In the southern United States, laurel cherry is often used to create beautiful hedges due to its dense growth habit.
-
The laurel cherry tree adds year-round greenery to gardens, making it a favorite among southern gardeners.
Synonyms
A small evergreen tree from the southern United States with dark shiny leaves and small white flowers
A bush or small evergreen tree with shiny leaves and white flowers used as a garden hedge
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound name combines two concrete plant nouns so its referent is directly inferable: 'laurel' (an evergreen) + 'cherry' (a tree) yields a tree with laurel-like/evergreen characteristics. Plant-naming noun+noun compounds are cross-linguistically common and show no idiomatic shift here, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely understand the meaning.
Etymology
Laurel cherry comes from how the tree looks: it has glossy leaves like laurel and small, round fruits like cherry. So the name tells you it is a small evergreen tree often used in gardens for its shiny leaves and cherry-like berries.
