wild peach
- noun
- South African
:
durazno silvestre
- The wild peach is commonly used as an ornamental plant in gardens.
Examples
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The wild peach shrub retains its green leaves throughout the year.
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Many birds are attracted to the dense foliage of the wild peach.
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The wild peach grows abundantly in the forest.
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Look at that wild peach!
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The wild peach is commonly used as an ornamental plant in gardens.
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Many birds are attracted to the dense foliage of the wild peach.
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The wild peach shrub retains its green leaves throughout the year.
Synonyms
A large evergreen shrub or small tree from southern Africa with dense leaves
How Ornamental
2
3.9
- South African
21
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
wild + peach
The noun phrase 'wild peach' combines 'wild' (untamed, growing naturally) with 'peach' so a B1 learner who knows both words would reasonably infer it refers to a peach plant or variety that grows in the wild. However, the entry's specialized botanical sense — a large, much-branched shrub grown for evergreen foliage and not a true peach tree — is a specific knowledge that cannot be fully predicted from the simple combination, so the transparency is partial.
Etymology
Wild peach got its name because people saw a wild shrub whose small fruit or leaves looked like a garden peach, so they called it a wild version of the fruit. That's why today the name means a large, bushy shrub kept for its green leaves all year, 'not the true peach tree'.