deerweed

American  

[deer-weed] / ˈdɪərˌwid /

Or deer weed

noun

1. any of several shrubby Californian plants belonging to the genus Lotus, of the legume family, especially L. scoparious, having pinnate leaves and clusters of yellow flowers.

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Etymology

Origin of deerweed

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; deer + weed ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deerweed

Meanwhile, the Presidio Trust and other organizations worked to restore the butterflies’ native dunes, planting deerweed — a preferred host plant of the Xerces Blue and the Silvery Blue butterflies.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 15, 2024

During their four butterfly releases this spring, Johnson’s helpers quickly spotted — and photographed — multiple mating couples clinging to deerweed.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2023

The Palos Verdes blue has two — rattlepod and deerweed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2023

And though the Xerces blue is long gone, the deerweed it once needed has recently been replanted in the sand dunes in the Presidio, awaiting a somewhat familiar future butterfly.

From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2021

More than a century ago, a bluish butterfly flitted among the sand dunes of the Sunset District in San Francisco and laid its eggs on a plant known as deerweed.

From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2021

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