southern buckthorn
- noun
- /ˈsʌðərn ˈbʌkˌθɔrn/
- US
:
espino del sur
- The southern buckthorn thrives in moist woodlands across the southeastern United States.
Examples
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Gardeners appreciate the southern buckthorn for its hardiness and ornamental white flowers.
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Birds are attracted to the small black fruits of the southern buckthorn during late summer.
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The southern buckthorn is known for its thorny branches.
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Many gardeners appreciate the southern buckthorn for its resilience.
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Birds are attracted to the small black fruits of the southern buckthorn during late summer.
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Gardeners appreciate the southern buckthorn for its hardiness and ornamental white flowers.
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The southern buckthorn thrives in moist woodlands across the southeastern United States.
Synonyms
1
8.1
A bush or small tree with sharp branches and small berries
A small thorny tree with white flowers and black fruit
A small thorny tree from the southeastern United States with white flowers and black fruit
A small bush that loses its leaves and has black berries and golden yellow autumn leaves
A group of shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning — a buckthorn (a shrub) from the southern region — is directly and compositionally derived from 'southern' (from the south) + 'buckthorn' (a spiny shrub). This adjective+noun naming pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should understand the MWE.
Etymology
Southern buckthorn may come from the older name buckthorn, a word people used for sharp, thorny bushes; imagine a buck (a male deer) getting its antlers caught in a thorn, and that strong picture explains the name. So the name reminds us that this plant is a small, thorny shrub with white flowers and dark, berry-like fruits.