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

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

While there can be variations, in the South Bay, look for sea cliff buckwheat with clumps of white and pink flowers; rattlepod and deerweed have peapod or bell-shaped green-and-white and yellow-and-red flowers, respectively.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2023

As the city’s development overtook the dunes and deerweed, the butterflies vanished, too.

From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2021

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