shaving-brush tree

9.9

A tree from Mexico and Guatemala with dense hairy flowers that look like brushes at branch ends

noun

: árbol de cepillo de afeitar

The shaving-brush tree blossoms before its leaves emerge, creating a dramatic display of pinkish flowers.

Examples

In botanical gardens, the shaving-brush tree draws attention with its unique, brush-like blooms.
The shaving-brush tree is often grown as an ornamental plant in warm climates.
The shaving-brush tree is known for its unique flowers.
Many shaving-brush trees grow in tropical climates.
In botanical gardens, the shaving-brush tree draws attention with its unique, brush-like blooms.
The shaving-brush tree blossoms before its leaves emerge, creating a dramatic display of pinkish flowers.
The shaving-brush tree is often grown as an ornamental plant in warm climates.

Synonyms

Pseudobombax ellipticum

vsshaving-brush tree

Specialized

9.9

A tropical tree from Mexico and Central America with bright hairy pink flowers at branch ends before leaves appear

is native only to Mexico and Guatemala with a narrower geographic range

Surface Forms

shaving-brush tree singular

shaving-brush trees plural

Morphology

shaving-brush + tree

The compound is directly compositional: the modifier 'shaving-brush' (an object with bristles used for shaving) combined with 'tree' yields a tree characterized by features resembling a shaving brush (its dense, hairy flowers). This follows a common noun-modifier + tree naming pattern that is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Shaving-brush tree is named for the way its flowers look. Its flowers form a round, hairy bunch at the end of a branch that looks like a shaving brush, so the name describes the tree's 'brush' shape.