TUMBLEWEED

1, Weed: Any plant regarded as unwanted at the place where, and at the time when it is growing.

Example: In 1877, an unfamiliar type of weed appeared in Bon Homme County, South Dakota, and
began spreading across the northern Great Plains.

2, Stem: The above-ground stalk (technically axis) of a vascular plant, and certain anatomically
similar, below-ground organs such as rhizomes, bulbs, tubers, and corms.

The plant, called tumbleweed, has green stems, intricate branches, a nearly round shape, and
long leaves with sharp points on the end.

3, Intricate: Having a great deal of fine detail or complexity.

The plant, called tumbleweed, has green stems, intricate branches, a nearly round shape, and
long leaves with sharp points on the end.

4, Branch: The woody part of a tree arising from the trunk and usually dividing.

The plant, called tumbleweed, has green stems, intricate branches, a nearly round shape, and
long leaves with sharp points on the end.

5, Horn: A hard growth or increment of keratin that protrudes from the top of the head of
certain animals, usually paired.

Example: Mice, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn antelope feed on it.

6, Woody: Covered in woods; wooded

Example: The branches are soft and green when young, but woody and gray when mature.

7, Break off: Detach; separate; break

Example: In the fall, a layer of cells in the stem weakens and the plant breaks off from its
roots and rolls across the fields in the wind.

8, Coiled: In the form of coils or having coils, which is a series of loops or something wound
in the form of a helix or spiral.

Example: Instead, each seed is a coiled, embryonic plant wrapped in a thin membrane.

9, Thrive: To increase in wealth or success; to prosper, be profitable.

Example: Within ten years, tumbleweeds had invaded twelve western states and four western
Canadian provinces, thriving in regions too dry for other plants.

10, Tip: The extreme end of something, especially when pointed; e.g. the sharp end of a pencil.

Example: The sharp tips of the leaves penetrated heavy leather gloves as well as the legs of
horses.

11, Build up: To accumulate, to pile up or stack, to increase in stages.

Example: It built up in great numbers against fences in such dense mases that it formed wind
breaks and eventually the fences were destroyed.

12, Blow: To produce an air current; to propel or be propelled by an air current.

Example: The image of tumbleweeds blowing down the main streets of a deserted western town
evokes ideas of desolation and loneliness.

13, Comparatively: Relatively, Somewhat.

Example: Yet tumbleweed is actually a comparatively recent newcomer.

14, Newcomer: One who has recently come to a community; a recent arrival.
Yet the tumbleweed is actually a comparatively recent newcomer.

15, Settler: Someone who settles in a new location, especially one who takes up or occupy
residency in a previously uninhabited place; a colonist.

Example: Although most settlers found the appearance of this weed unusual, one group of
immigrants did not find it at all unfamiliar.

16, Flax: A plant of the genus Linum, especially Linum usitatissimum, which has a single,
slender stalk, about a foot and a half high, with blue flowers. Also known as linseed,
especially when referring to the seeds

Example: It was probably unintentionally brought into the United States by these immigrants in
bags of flax seeds.

17, Prairie: An extensive area of relatively flat grassland with few, if any, trees, especially
in North America.

Example: In the U.S. Midwest, the tall prairie grass would have made it impossible for
tumbleweeds to roll any great distance.

18, Plough: To use a plough on to prepare for planting.

Example: Tumbleweeds thrive in ploughed fields, especially if it is sandy.

19, Bare: Naked, uncovered

Example: Without agriculture, tumbleweed can live only in areas that are naturally open and
bare.

20, Account: A registry of transactions or other things, a written or printed statement of

things; a report

Example: Generally, botanists compare a plant to published accounts of similar plants or to

samples kept as specimens.