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swamp azalea

swamp azalea

8.6
A bush that loses its leaves and grows in eastern United States swamps with small pink or white flowers
  • noun
  • /swɑmp əˈzeɪliə/
  • US
translation icon : azalea de pantano
  • Others are swamp rose, winterberry, sweet pepperbush, brook alder, and swamp azalea.

Examples

  • In early summer, the swamp azalea's pinkish blooms attract various pollinators to the garden.

  • Some of the shrubs are black chokeberry, blue huckleberry, silky willow, swamp azalea, and sweet gale.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The swamp azalea thrives in wet, marshy areas, producing beautiful white flowers in spring.

  • The swamp azalea is known for its fragrant flowers, making it a popular choice for wetland landscaping.

Synonyms

swamp honeysuckle
vsswamp azalea
  • US
8.8

A shrub that grows in wet ground and has small white or pink flowers

is an alternative common label for the same shrub
Rhododendron viscosum
vsswamp azalea
  • Specialized
9.8

A bush with fragrant white to pink flowers like honeysuckle that grows in swampy places

does not mention or stress a floral scent

Surface Forms

swamp azalea singular
swamp azaleas plural

Morphology

swamp + Azalea

The meaning 'a type of azalea that grows in swamps' is directly and compositionally derivable from 'swamp' (wetland) + 'azalea' (flowering shrub). This noun-noun compound follows a common productive pattern (habitat modifier + plant name) that is cross-linguistically regular, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Swamp azalea names an azalea shrub that lives in wet, low ground called a swamp. Picture a small plant standing in shallow water with white-pink, sweet-smelling flowers that look like honeysuckle, and you can see why people call it swamp azalea to mean 'an azalea from the swamp'.