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Glite Dictionary
calico bush

calico bush

9.8
An evergreen shrub also called mountain laurel, with glossy leaves and white or pink flowers that grows in North America
  • noun
  • /ˈkælɪkoʊ bʌʃ/
  • US
translation icon : laurel de montaña
  • The calico bush is well known for its vibrant clusters of flowers in late spring.

Examples

  • In the Appalachian Mountains, calico bush flourishes in rocky, acidic soil.

  • Gardeners often plant calico bush to attract bees and butterflies to their yards.

  • The calico bush blooms beautifully in spring.

  • Did you see the calico bushes at the park?

  • In the Appalachian Mountains, the calico bush flourishes in rocky, acidic soil.

  • The calico bush is well known for its vibrant clusters of flowers in late spring.

  • Gardeners often plant calico bush to attract bees and butterflies to their yards.

Synonyms

mountain laurel
vscalico bush
  • US
6.1

An evergreen shrub with shiny leaves and clusters of pink or white flowers

is the alternative common name for the same shrub
Kalmia latifolia
vscalico bush
  • Specialized
9.9

An evergreen shrub with shiny leaves and white or pink flowers

is the everyday common name rather than the scientific Latin label

Surface Forms

calico bush singular
calico bushes plural

Morphology

calico + bush

If a learner knows 'calico' as describing a mottled or multicoloured pattern and 'bush' as a small woody plant, they can infer that a 'calico bush' is a bush notable for variegated/patchy coloration of flowers or foliage. However, the MWE refers to a specific plant species (mountain laurel) and the precise botanical details (evergreen shrub, species identity) are not predictable from the constituents alone, so the transparency is partial.

Etymology

Calico bush gets its name from the cloth calico and the word bush. People thought the plant's many small, spotted pink and white flowers looked like the colorful pattern of calico cloth, so the name came to mean this flowering 'shrub'.