love tree

9.3

A small tree with bright purplish-red flowers that grow on its stems before leaves appear

noun

: árbol del amor

The love tree blooms profusely in early spring, covering its branches with vivid flowers.

Examples

The wood of the love tree is often used to create decorative veneers for furniture.
Gardeners prize the love tree for its striking appearance and easy maintenance.
The love tree blooms beautifully in spring.
Have you seen the love trees in the park?
The love tree blooms profusely in early spring, covering its branches with vivid flowers.
Gardeners prize the love tree for its striking appearance and easy maintenance.
The wood of the love tree is often used to create decorative veneers for furniture.

Synonyms

Judas tree

vslove tree

8.7

A small tree from the eastern Mediterranean with many purplish-red flowers on its trunk and branches before the leaves appear

is the same species but called by a different common name

Cercis siliquastrum

vslove tree

Specialized

9.9

A small tree with many purple-pink flowers that grow on old branches before the leaves, often grown in mild gardens

is the same species but referenced in common language rather than scientific form

Surface Forms

love tree singular

love trees plural

Morphology

love + tree

The noun compound 'love tree' yields a clear compositional relation — a tree associated with 'love' — so a B1 learner who knows 'love' and 'tree' would infer it denotes a kind of tree linked to love or affection. However, the precise botanical sense (the specific Mediterranean species, flowering habit, and wood use) cannot be predicted from the constituents alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Love tree may come from the way its bright purplish-red flowers grow straight from the stems and cover the trunk and branches before the leaves appear. Because the tree looks full of colour and almost 'in love', people planted it for gardens and also used its pretty wood for decorative veneers.