paperbark

American  

[pey-per-bahrk] / ˈpeɪ pərˌbɑrk /

noun

1. cajeput.

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paperbark British  

/ ˈpeɪpəˌbɑːk /

noun

1. any of several Australian myrtaceous trees of the genus Melaleuca , esp M. quinquenervia, of swampy regions, having spear-shaped leaves and papery bark that can be peeled off in thin layers

2. the papery bark of any of these trees

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Etymology

Origin of paperbark

First recorded in 1835–45; paper + bark ²

Example Sentences

Longtime Imperial Courts resident Loretha West, 78, dutifully waters the paperbark tree Hayes planted last year outside her apartment, which she requested as a memorial to her son who was murdered at age 29.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 28, 2021

And most want sun, although vine maple, katsura, paperbark maple and ‘Eddie’s White Wonder’ dogwood don’t mind some shade.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 14, 2021

The paperbark maple has not been extensively bred for new traits, but the Krautmanns are about to release an upright columnar form, as yet unnamed, that will be grafted onto rootstock.

From Washington Post • Jul. 12, 2016

After I left, in a laneway off the main road, I found a paperbark tree and peeled away some bark, placed it under my T-shirt, gently rubbed my skin in a circular motion.

From The Guardian • May 6, 2016

I got the requisite observation for latitude during the night; and since necessity is ever the mother of invention, read off my sextant by a torch made for the occasion from pieces of paperbark.

From Discoveries in Australia, Volume 2 Discoveries in Australia; with an Account of the Coasts and Rivers Explored and Surveyed During the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, in The Years 1837-38-39-40-41-42-43. By Command of the Lords Commissioners Of the Admiralty. Also a Narrative of Captain Owen Stanley's Visits To the Islands in the Arafura Sea by Stokes, John Lort