candelabra tree

English

Noun

candelabra tree (plural candelabra trees)

Euphorbia ingens

Euphorbia candelabrum

Euphorbia ammak

Araucaria angustifolia

Cecropia pachystachya

Senna didymobotrya

"Candelabra Tree" motif

1. Several species of Euphorbia, including Euphorbia ingens, Euphorbia candelabrum, Euphorbia ammak, Euphorbia cooperi, Euphorbia lacti, and Euphorbia antiquorum.

   Synonym: naboom

   • 1872, Henry Morton Stanley, How I found Livingstone, page 524:

     The other trees which the Central African forests produce are the kolquall, or candelabra tree; the msundurusi, or copal-tree, frequent in Ukawendi; the moumbo, or palmyra; the miombo; the beautiful and fragrant mimosa; the mtundu; and on the shores of Lake Tanganika is seen the beautiful Guinea palm tree, called mchikichi, and the plantain tree.

   • 2005, Rina Grant, Val Thomas, Sappi Tree Spotting: Bushveld, Including Pilanesberg and Magaliesberg, page 94:

     NABOOM EUPHORBIA ( CANDELABRA TREE ) Euphorbia ingens

   • 2009, Michael Allaby, Grasslands, page 19:

     Possibly the most extraoridanary savanna trees are the baobab (Adansonia digitata) and the candelabra tree (Euphorbia candelabrum).

   • 2019, Dr. Ross Gordon Cooper, Crocodile Creek tree house, page 11:

     The mukonde (candelabra tree) was a four-sided cactus like plant with a poisonous white sap, although a rhino had no problems chewing the fresh shoots.

   • 2020, Naoimi Kipuri, Oral Literature of the Maasai, page 166:

     The candelabra tree has a long stem with branches growing only at the upper part.

2. A Brazilian tree, Araucaria angustifolia
   • 1907, Marie Robinson Wright, The New Brazil, page 157:

     The Candelabra-tree is chiefly interesting for its appearance, which perfectly resembles an immense candelabra ready for illumination.

   • 2020, Maturin M. Ballou, Equatorial America, page 100:

     The candelabra-tree, with its silver-tinted foliage, is one of the beauties of this charming Brazilian garden.

   • 2022, Andrei Sourakov, Rachel Warren Chadd, The Lives of Moths: A Natural History of Our Planet's Moth Life, page 233:

     The caterpillar of the silk moth Dirphia araucariae, which is thousands of times larger, eats the needles of the candelabra tree (Araucaria angustifolia), where it is perfectly camouflaged, as its spines and striped color pattern imitate its host plant's needles.

3. A South American tree, Cecropria pachystachya
   • 1907, David Starr Jordan, Evolution and animal life, page 379:

     In the forests of South America grow the imbauba or so-called candelabra trees, species of the genus Cecropia, which well deserve their name, 'candelabra,' from the curious appearance given them by the outspringing bare branches, each bearing a tuft of leaves at the free end.

4. An African native, Senna didymobotrya whose yellow flowers look like lit candles.
   • 2018, Debra Lindsay, Maria Martin's World, page 144:

     Her interest in botanicals was as strong as ever, but she added bromeliadssuch as Tillandsia and tropical (or neotropical) plants such as Bauhinia, Heliconia, Alpinia, the candelabra tree (Senna didymobotrya) and poinciana shrub, as well as orchids and passion flowers to the native species painted for Audubon.

5. Any of various individual trees that resemble a candelabra.
   • 2021, Judith Lunney Merriam, Seasons of Discernment and Praise: God’s Word, My Heart’s Song:

     The candelabra tree stands alone on the near bank of the Upper Ammonoosuc, which flows strongly through Groveton Village, rushing its way into maturity in the Connecticut River.

   • 2022, JoAnn Semones, True Tales of California Coastside State Parks, page 60:

     The Candelabra Tree is an old-growth redwood at Butano State Park.

6. A decorative motif of a stylized tree with symmetric branches having the appearance of a candelabra.
   • 1968, American Research Center in Egypt, Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, page 122:

     The Islamic variation of the candelabra tree, as seen on the stucco object, is further abstracted in the decoration of the later Susa bowl.

   • 2009, Katrin Kogman-Appel, Mati Meyer, Between Judaism and Christianity, page 353:

     In all but four cases the candelabra tree design appears on openings, and on several pages the trees are inhabited by birds.

   • 2013, Dalia-Ruth Halperin, Illuminating in Micrography: The Catalan Micrography, page 83:

     As I noted earlier, the candelabra tree motif is one of the characteristic marginal decorations in Iberian Hebrew Bibles.