geiger tree

noun

1. a small, shapely evergreen, Cordia sebestena, of the borage family, native to the Florida Keys, South America, Yucatan, and the West Indies, having orange and red flowers and small pear-shaped fruit.

Word History and Origins

Origin of geiger tree¹

First recorded in 1875–80; named by John James Audubon ( def ) in honor of John Huling Geiger (1807–85), at whose estate Audubon stayed in 1832 while working on his Birds of America