logwood tree

9.9

A small spiny tree from the Caribbean whose hard inner wood makes black dye

noun
/ˈlɔɡˌwʊd tri/

: árbol de logwood

The heartwood of the logwood tree is prized for creating natural black dyes.

Examples

The logwood tree was once a vital resource for the dye industry in the Caribbean.
The logwood tree has distinct bipinnate leaves and clusters of tiny yellow flowers.
Botanists studied the unique yellow flowers produced by the logwood tree.
Look at that beautiful logwood tree blooming!
The logwood tree is known for its vibrant yellow flowers.
The logwood tree is commonly used to produce a rich black dye.
Artisans in Central America often rely on the logwood tree for dyeing textiles.

Synonyms

Haematoxylum campechianum

vslogwood tree

Specialized

9.9

A small tropical tree whose hard reddish-brown wood makes a black dye

is the common English name rather than the Latin botanical form

bloodwood tree

vslogwood tree

9.9

A spiny shrub of Central America and the Caribbean with yellow flowers and hard inner wood for black dye

notes only hard heartwood rather than its brown or reddish colour

campeachy

vslogwood tree

9.9

A small spiny tree with bright yellow flowers used to make black dye

focuses on clustered small flowers rather than general floral colour

logwood

vslogwood tree

Specialized

9.7

A small spiny tree from Central America and the Caribbean that people use to make dark dye

includes leaf and flower details rather than focusing only on the heartwood

Surface Forms

logwood tree singular

logwood trees plural

Morphology

logwood + tree

The compound is directly compositional: 'logwood' names the dye-producing plant and 'tree' denotes its growth form, so 'logwood tree' simply refers to a tree of that species. This follows a common noun+noun naming pattern that a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily understand.

Etymology

The noun logwood tree comes from the dark, hard inner wood of the tree, which people cut into logs and boiled to make a strong 'black dye', so the name shows the tree was used to make dye.