trailing arbutus

American  

[tray-ling ahr-byoo-tuhs] / ˈtreɪ lɪŋ ɑrˈbju təs /

noun

1. Also called mayflower, arbutus. a creeping eastern North American plant, Epigaea repens, of the heath family, having leathery, oval leaves and terminal clusters of fragrant pink or white flowers: the state flower of Massachusetts.

---

trailing arbutus British  

noun

1. Also called: mayflower. a creeping evergreen ericaceous plant, Epigaea repens , of E North America, having clusters of fragrant pink or white flowers

---

Etymology

Origin of trailing arbutus

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trailing arbutus

“Epigea” refers to Epigaea repens, commonly known as trailing arbutus or mayflower: a low-growing shrub that produces clusters of pink flowers.

From Slate ● May 17, 2016

By 1942, when Johnson retired, the first of Colby's new Georgian buildings blossomed amid the trailing arbutus on Mayflower Hill.

From Time Magazine Archive

My sister has found trailing arbutus buds, which have blossomed in the house.

From Harper's Young People, April 13, 1880 An Illustrated Weekly by Various

In the woods were long drifts of snow, though he knew that in the brown leaves along their edges the pale pink flowers of the trailing arbutus were hiding their wet faces.

From A Pair of Patient Lovers by William Dean Howells

Barbara and I, abandoning trailing arbutus, merged ourselves with the family group, and went in at the front door.

From Pilgrim Trails A Plymouth-to-Provincetown Sketchbook by Frances Lester Warner