Judas tree

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Archived revision by Rudi Laschenkohl (talk | contribs) as of 07:15, 2 November 2019.
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

Judas tree

Noun

Judas tree (plural Judas trees)

  1. (botany) A small deciduous tree, Cercis siliquastrum, noted for its prolific display of deep-pink flowers in spring.
    • 1762, “The compendious System of Natural History,” The Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure, Volume 30, June 1762, p. 297,[1]
      The Spaniards and Portuguese title the siliquastrum the lovely tree, or tree of love; and we call it Judas tree, from a tradition, that it was the tree Judas hanged himself upon.
    • 1858, Adelaide Anne Procter, “The Wayside Inn” in Legends and Lyrics, New York: D. Appleton, p. 119,[2]
      [] children, drawing water,
      Looked up and paused to see,
      Amid the apple branches,
      A purple Judas tree.
    • 1926, Vita Sackville-West, Passenger to Teheran, London: Leonard & Virginia Woolf, Chapter V, II,[3]
      [The garden] is a tangle of briars and grey sage, and here and there a judas tree in full flower stains the whiteness of the tall planes with its incredible magenta.

Synonyms

Hypernyms

Translations

References