trailing arbutus

American  

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

noun

1. Also called mayflower.  Also called 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.

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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

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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

We went to the woods and found trailing arbutus, that is so sweet, and hepatica, and oh! many another thing.

From A Little Girl in Old Philadelphia by Douglas, Amanda Minnie

Within was no written word; only a spray of the trailing arbutus, still unwithered of its fairy-pink, still eloquent, in its wayward, woodland fragrance, of her who had worn it the night before.

From The Clarion by Stevens, William Dodge

Little girls were not allowed to invade the grove except in early spring for trailing arbutus.

From Still Jim by Morrow, Honoré