ruderal

📖 Definitions

adjective

Growing in waste places, disturbed land, or poor soil.

noun

A plant that thrives in such conditions.

💬 Usage Examples

“Carl Linnaeus revolutionized the way in which [taxonomy] was done. In fact, he courted controversy at the time, using quite explicit sexual descriptions, such as ‘eight men in the same bride’s chamber, with one woman’! [Octandria Monogynia] The German botanist, Johann Siegesbeck, referred to Linnaeus’ work as ‘loathsome harlotry’, though Linnaeus, believing in revenge as a dish best served well and truly chilled, retorted with taxonomic vengeance, naming a small and insignificant little ruderal plant (Siegesbeckia) after his accuser.” Keith Skene; Form, Function, Forests, and Fossils; Contemporary Review (Oxford, UK); Dec 2011.
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