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Glite Dictionary
Erica arborea

Erica arborea

9.9
A shrub or small tree from the Mediterranean with fragrant white flowers used to make tobacco pipes
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Erica arborea
  • The roots of Erica arborea are highly valued for making quality tobacco pipes.

Examples

  • In the spring, Erica arborea produces clusters of small, fragrant white flowers.

  • Botanists found a thriving population of Erica arborea along the Mediterranean hillside.

  • The Erica arborea is known for its beautiful flowers.

  • Many gardeners love planting Erica arborea in their yards.

  • The roots of Erica arborea are highly valued for making quality tobacco pipes.

  • In the spring, Erica arborea produces clusters of small, fragrant white flowers.

  • Many gardeners love planting Erica arborea in their yards.

Synonyms

briar
vsErica arborea
9.6

An evergreen Mediterranean shrub with white fragrant flowers and hard roots used to make tobacco pipes

is the formal scientific name for the same shrub used for pipes

Surface Forms

Erica arborea singular
Erica arboreas plural

Morphology

Erica + arborea

This is a scientific Latin binomial (taxonomic name) where the second element 'arborea' is not a common English word and the full technical meaning (a specific evergreen Mediterranean species used for making pipes) is not recoverable from the constituents. Even if a learner recognizes 'Erica' as a plant genus, the Latin adjective and the specialised botanical/usage information are language- and register-specific, so a B1 learner would not be able to derive the MWE's meaning from its parts.

Etymology

Erica arborea is a small evergreen plant with very hard, knotty roots. People who make pipes found these roots do not burn easily and can be shaped into strong pipes, so Erica arborea is especially used for making 'tobacco pipes'.