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smilo

smilo

9.9
A grass that lives many years and grows on Mediterranean hills
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : smilo
  • Wild smilo can often be seen covering hillsides in Spain.

Examples

  • The introduction of smilo to North America has benefited grazing livestock.

  • The smilo grass thrives in dry climates.

  • Botanists are studying the growth patterns of smilo in Mediterranean climates.

  • Farmers in California grow smilo for its resilience.

  • The introduction of smilo to North America has benefited grazing livestock.

  • Wild smilo can often be seen covering hillsides in Spain.

  • Farmers in California grow smilo for its resilience.

Synonyms

Oryzopsis miliacea
vssmilo
  • Specialized
9.9

A grass that lives for many years and grows on rocky Mediterranean slopes and in parts of North America

is the common everyday name rather than the scientific term
smilo grass
vssmilo
  • Specialized
9.9

A grass that lives for many years and is grown to feed animals

is named for its origin and known alternative name rather than focusing on cultivation
mountain rice
vssmilo
  • US
8.1

A grass that animals eat in dry high places and plains of western North America and northern Mexico

is the Mediterranean-origin name referring to the plant, not its North American habitat

Compounds

smilo grass
  • Specialized
9.9

A grass that lives for many years and is grown to feed animals

Surface Forms

smilo singular
smilos plural

Etymology

Smilo comes from a local Mediterranean name for this grass and the name was kept by botanists when they described it. Think of it as 'mountain rice' because its tall, rice-like seed heads grow on hills and make it useful for grazing, which is why the word means this particular perennial grass today.