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Glite Dictionary
mountain box

mountain box

9.9
A low evergreen shrub from North America and Eurasia with small white flowers and red berries
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : madrone
  • The mountain box is prized for its vibrant red berries and autumn foliage.

Examples

  • Hikers spotted a patch of mountain box growing along the trail in Alaska.

  • Gardeners often plant mountain box as ground cover in shady areas.

  • The mountain box adds beauty to the garden.

  • Many mountain boxes thrive in rocky soil.

  • Gardeners often plant mountain box as ground cover in shady areas.

  • Hikers spotted a patch of mountain box growing along the trail in Alaska.

  • The mountain box is prized for its vibrant red berries and autumn foliage.

Synonyms

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
vsmountain box
  • Specialized
9.9

A low, spreading bush with small white flowers, red berries, and leaves that turn red in autumn

is the same plant concept but uses a different common name
bear's grape
vsmountain box
  • UK
9.9

A low plant that stays green all year with small white flowers and red berries

is identical in meaning but is another common name for the plant
red bearberry
vsmountain box
  • UK
9.6

A low evergreen shrub with small white flowers, red berries, and leaves that turn red in autumn

means the same shrub but is a different common name
wild cranberry
vsmountain box
  • UK
4.4

A low bush that stays green all year and has small white flowers and red berries

is the same botanical concept expressed by a different name
creashak
vsmountain box
  • UK
9.9

An evergreen low shrub with small white flowers, red berries, and leaves that turn red in autumn

is the identical plant idea but labelled with another common name
hog cranberry
vsmountain box
  • UK
9.9

A low evergreen shrub with small white flowers and red berries whose leaves turn red in autumn

is the same plant concept presented under a different name
mealberry
vsmountain box
  • UK
9.9

A low evergreen shrub with small white flowers, bright red berries, and leaves that turn red in autumn

is identical in meaning but uses a different common term
common bearberry
vsmountain box
7.9

A low evergreen plant with small white flowers and red berries found in northern regions

is the same plant meaning expressed by another common name
sand berry
vsmountain box
  • US
9.2

A low evergreen bush with small white flowers, red berries, and leaves that turn red in autumn

is the same shrub concept but called by a different common name
sandberry
vsmountain box
9.9

An evergreen low bush with small white flowers, red berries, and leaves that turn red in autumn

is the same plant idea but presented under another common name
mountain cranberry
vsmountain box
4.7

A low evergreen shrub from northern places that makes small tart red berries

emphasizes the mat-forming shrub and its autumn leaf colour rather than taste
boxberry
vsmountain box
  • US
9.9

A low plant that stays green all year with shiny leaves and bright red berries that smell like mint

focuses on the mat-forming shrub with white flowers and red berries instead

Surface Forms

mountain box singular
mountain boxes plural

Morphology

mountain + box

The compound follows a straightforward noun–noun modifier pattern: 'mountain' specifies the type or habitat of 'box' (the shrub), so the meaning is a kind of box shrub found in mountainous areas. This compositional logic is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent senses (including 'box' as the shrub) will likely infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Mountain box may come from a simple picture: a low shrub with neat, box-like leaves that grows high on the mountain. So the name now means 'a small evergreen shrub often found on mountain slopes'.