pond-apple tree

1 9.5

A small evergreen tree with edible fruit used as a root for other fruit trees

noun

Specialized

: manzano de agua

Many gardeners love the pond-apple trees in their yards.

Examples

The local farmers often use the pond-apple tree as rootstock for other fruit trees.
Because of its tolerance to wet conditions, the pond-apple tree is common in marshy areas.
We spotted a pond-apple tree by the river, its fruit hanging just above the water.
The pond-apple tree produces delicious fruit.
The gardener planted a new pond-apple tree to provide shade in the backyard.
We picked ripe fruit from the pond-apple tree for a delicious dessert.
The pond-apple tree is often used for grafting because of its sturdy trunk.

Synonyms

pond apple

vspond-apple tree

1 9.6

A small tree that stays green all year and is used to grow roots for other fruit trees

is the more formal botanical label rather than the common name

Annona glabra

vspond-apple tree

Specialized

9.9

A small evergreen tree from tropical America with edible fruit often used for grafting

is the common or everyday label used outside scientific contexts

Surface Forms

pond-apple tree singular

pond-apple trees plural

Morphology

pond-apple + tree

This is a regular noun-compound of the form 'X tree' where the head 'tree' denotes a plant bearing X; even though 'pond-apple' is a rare lexical item, a B1 learner who knows 'pond' and 'apple' can reasonably infer it denotes a kind of apple-like fruit associated with ponds and therefore a tree that produces it. The composition follows common cross-linguistic patterns for plant names, so the overall meaning is transparently derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Pond-apple tree may come from the tree's way of growing by ponds and its round, apple-like fruit that often hang over or fall into the water. That picture of fruit near or in a pond helps explain why the name means a small tree with 'edible' fruit that can live in 'wet' ground.