Spartium junceum
- noun
- Specialized
:
retama
- Artisans often use the flexible twigs of Spartium junceum for traditional basket weaving.
Examples
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The hillsides were covered with blooming Spartium junceum in early summer.
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Spartium junceum has become naturalized in parts of California due to its hardiness.
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The Spartium junceum thrives in sunny Mediterranean climates.
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Many gardeners appreciate Spartium junceum for its beautiful flowers.
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Artisans often use the flexible twigs of Spartium junceum for traditional basket weaving.
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The hillsides were covered with blooming Spartium junceum in early summer.
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Spartium junceum has become naturalized in parts of California due to its hardiness.
Synonyms
A tall bush with pale yellow flowers and flexible twigs used to make baskets
A tall thornless shrub from the Mediterranean with sweet-smelling yellow flowers and flexible stems used to make baskets
Surface Forms
Morphology
Spartium + junceum
As a Latin binomial the form is compositional (genus + specific epithet): if a learner knows 'Spartium' as the Spanish broom genus and understands 'junceum' as 'rush-like', they can infer this denotes a Spartium species with rush-like twigs. However, the term is specialized botanical nomenclature and uses Latin morphology, so the full descriptive meaning (tall, thornless shrub with pale yellow flowers used in basketry) is not fully predictable for an average B1 learner.
Etymology
Spartium junceum may come from old Latin words meaning 'broom' and 'rush'. People saw the long, thin, flexible stems and used them to weave baskets and make brooms, so the name fits the shrub and its use.
