Etymology

oakleaf hydrangea

Today it means: A type of deciduous shrub native to the southeastern United States, often cultivated as an ornamental plant, of species Hydrangea quercifolia. Full definition →

taxonomic name Hydrangea quercifolia ← Latin quercus
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The story

  1. Latin · derived fromfolia
  2. Latin · derived fromquercus
  3. taxonomic name · calque ofHydrangea quercifolia
  4. English todayoakleaf hydrangea

Partial calque of taxonomic name Hydrangea quercifolia. The specific epithet quercifolia comes from Latin quercus (“oak”) + Latin folia (“leaf”), referring to the leaves' similarity in shape to those of oak trees, which belong to the unrelated genus Quercus.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.