cactus as a tree?

[Michael Newman]

isn't all this discussion really just a perfect example of Wittgenstein's Family Resemblance theory of word meaning?



Michael Newman
Associate Professor of Linguistics
Queens College/CUNY
michael.newman at qc.cuny.edu



On Mar 11, 2012, at 5:06 PM, Eric Nielsen wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Eric Nielsen <ericbarnak at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: cactus as a tree?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I think you make a good point. "Tree" is not absolutely defined:
>
> "There is no set definition regarding minimum size, though most authors
> cite a tree species as being one which regularly reaches 6 m (20 ft) tall."
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trees_of_Britain_and_Ireland
>
> "Trees are woody plants at least 15 feet tall at maturity, with a
> well-developed crown and a single stem, or trunk, at least several inches
> in diameter."
>
> Brockman, C. Frank
> "Trees of North America"
> Golden Press, New York, 1968
>
> Size--and single vs. multiple stems--seem to be the more important
> characteristics for distinguishing a tree from a bush:
>
> "A *shrub* or *bush* is distinguished from a
> tree<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree>by its multiple stems and
> shorter
> height <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Height>, usually under 5=966 m (15=962=
> 0
> ft) tall."
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrub
>
> Many species may be a tree or a bush at maturity. This could be due to
> environment or cultivation or....
>
> In fact, in my neck of the woods, Sassafras (*Sassafras albidum)* can often
> occur as a bush and a tree--even within a few feet of each other. I seem to
> remember coming upon the phrase "may occur as a tree in southern regions"
> (or some such) when reading plant descriptions many years ago. I think it
> may be a similar case with mulberries: sometimes they are a bush; sometimes
> a tree. A search of "mulberry bush" in Google Images will give some
> examples:
>
> http://tiny.cc/n9j0aw
>
> Eric
>
>
>
>
> On Sat, Mar 10, 2012 at 3:28 PM, Michael McKernan <mckernan51 at gmail.com>wro=
> te:
>
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>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Michael McKernan <mckernan51 at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: cactus as a tree?
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
>>
>> I believe that botanists do not use the term "tree" as a technical term, =
> so
>> you're barking up the wrong tree if you want to be botanically technical
>> about what "tree" means.
>>
>> Michael McKernan
>> Benson, Arizona (just a few miles from the Saguaros of the Sonoran Desert=
> ).
>>
>>
>
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