Buttonwoods

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of tree known for its distinctive button-like seed clusters and ornamental value in landscaping
2. A member of a group of trees in the genus Conocarpus, often found in tropical and subtropical regions
3. Commonly characterized by their ability to thrive in wet soils and their use in coastal landscaping and erosion control

Etymology: Buttonwood is a plain compound: "button" joined to "wood." The name describes the tree's fruit, a dense, round, button-like head of tiny flowers and seed cones that clusters together on the branches. Buttonwood, the tree in the genus Conocarpus, was named for that look rather than for any use of its timber or bark. The plural "buttonwoods" simply refers to more than one of these trees, usually seen as a row of them along a shoreline or in a mangrove-edged coastal thicket, where the shape of the fruit heads gives the name its logic.