Joshua tree
1
4.8
- noun
- /ˈdʒɑːʃuə triː/
- US
:
árbol de Josué
- In the Mojave Desert, the Joshua tree stands tall against the blue sky, with clusters of greenish white flowers blooming in spring.
- Joshua tree forests
- Joshua tree (Yucca)
- Joshua tree scrub
Examples
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All those Juniper and Joshua trees have adapted to survive on only five inches of rainfall a year.
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So you may be wondering why we're staying at these seemingly random spots instead of camping in Joshua Tree National Park since we're so close.
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Taken alone, they are not that impressive, but as soon as you stand in the middle of a forest of Joshua trees, you have to pause and take it in.
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Some of my family lives in the middle of these Joshua trees, and I snapped a few pics to share with you.
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Dark Joshua trees kept her company, and the stars, scarcely seen in the city, twinkled, yes, just as in the song, above her.
Fiction book (2000) -
This picture by a naturalist painter shows a coyote and a Joshua tree.
Fiction book (2002) -
There are places in Arizona where saguaros—the signature tree of the Sonoran Desert—grow interspersed with Joshua trees, the signature tree of the Mojave.
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Joshua trees are often offered as an indicator species for the Mojave—if they grow naturally in a spot, that spot's in the Mojave Desert—but Joshua trees grow on the wrong sides of the boundary in quite a few places.
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The Joshua tree is known for its unique shape and spiky leaves, attracting many visitors to the desert.
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Hiking through the park, we marveled at the many Joshua trees, their branches stretching out like arms reaching for the sun.
Synonyms
A large desert plant that looks like a tree with short leaves and white flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
Joshua + tree
The compound is compositional: 'Joshua' (a name) + 'tree' yields the meaning 'a particular kind of tree' so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand it refers to a tree associated with the name Joshua. They may not know the specific botanical details (that it is a yucca with spiky leaves and native to the Mojave), but the basic category and referential function are transparently derived from the constituents.
Etymology
Joshua tree comes from 19th‑century Mormon settlers who thought the tree's long, raised branches looked like Joshua from the Bible lifting his arms in prayer. So the strong image of 'Joshua' in prayer is why people call this spiky desert plant the Joshua tree today.