Tarplants

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Sticky, strong-smelling herbs of western North America, often called tarweeds, that produce an oily resin on their stems and leaves
2. Aromatic annual herbs native to western North America whose resinous, sticky foliage gives them the common name tarweed
3. Resin-coated wildflowers of the western United States and nearby regions, known for their pungent odor and gummy stems

Etymology: Tarplants are a group of strong-smelling, mostly yellow-flowered plants in the sunflower family, native to western North America, and the name is simply a compound of "tar" and "plant." The "tar" refers to the sticky, resinous oil the plants produce, which gives them a distinctive pungent odor noticeable when the leaves are crushed. Many species in the group are called tarweeds, and the same resinous quality is behind the name of the genus Madia, whose members are among the best known. The use of "tar" for this resin is an old transfer of meaning. The English word "tar," for the dark viscous substance distilled from wood or coal, goes back to Old English "teoru," and it was applied to plants whose sap or foliage gave off a similar smell and sheen. Early botanical naming in English often borrowed such everyday substance words to describe plant features, so the plant name is a direct description rather than a coinage with a special story.