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Glite Dictionary
Baccharis pilularis

Baccharis pilularis

9.9
A spreading evergreen shrub with small flower clusters that grows on California coastal hills
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Baccharis pilularis
  • The garden featured native plants such as Baccharis pilularis to provide habitat for local wildlife.

Examples

  • Baccharis pilularis is often found in coastal areas of California.

  • Researchers studied the fire resistance of Baccharis pilularis in comparison to other shrub species.

  • Baccharis pilularis is commonly found along coastal slopes and hillsides in California.

  • The Baccharis pilularis shrub provides habitat for many local species.

  • Baccharis pilularis is an important plant for erosion control in the coastal regions of California.

  • In the fall, Baccharis pilularis blooms with small yellow flowers that attract various pollinators.

  • Baccharis pilularis can grow up to 10 feet tall and is recognizable by its bushy appearance.

Synonyms

coyote brush
vsBaccharis pilularis
  • US
9.2

A spreading evergreen shrub with small flowers that grows on dry hills in the southwestern United States

is the scientific Latin name rather than the common local name
kidney wort
vsBaccharis pilularis
  • US
9.9

A low evergreen shrub that spreads widely with many small flower clusters

is the formal scientific name, not this alternative common name
chaparral broom
vsBaccharis pilularis
  • Specialized
9.9

A spreading evergreen shrub with small clusters of white flowers that grows in dry places

is the scientific name used broadly rather than a regional common name
coyote bush
vsBaccharis pilularis
  • US
9.5

An evergreen bush with small clustered flowers that spreads in the southwestern United States

is the scientific label focusing on formal classification rather than that description

Surface Forms

Baccharis pilularis singular
Baccharis pilularis plural

Morphology

Baccharis + pilularis

This is a Latin binomial (taxonomic name) rather than a compositional English phrase: knowing the genus name 'Baccharis' and an unknown Latin epithet 'pilularis' does not let a B1 learner derive the shrub meaning or its properties. Species names function as arbitrary labels in English and the second element is not an English word with predictable sense, so the overall meaning is not transparently recoverable from the constituents.

Etymology

Baccharis pilularis may come from a name linked to the wine god Bacchus and from Latin for 'small ball'. The part Baccharis points to an old name for a shrub, and pilularis means 'little balls', a clear picture for the plant's round flower heads, so the name fits the coastal shrub called 'coyote brush'.