barometer bush

noun

: a compact evergreen shrub (Leucophyllum frutescens of the family Scrophulariaceae) native to Texas and adjacent northern Mexico that has grayish-green hairy leaves and solitary, bell-shaped, usually pink or purple flowers

Hope bloomed on those hardy plants, known to old-timers as barometer bushes because showers trigger their flowers.—

Tracy Hobson Lehmann, San Antonio Express-News, 9 July 2011

called also cenizo, Texas sage

Word History

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of barometer bush was in 1957

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Barometer bush.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barometer%20bush. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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