witch’s broom
n.— «Others are freaks of nature that arrived on a “witch’s broom.” That’s the term for a mutation that sometimes occurs on the branch of a normal tree and is characterized by a tight, dense mass of abnormally small foliage.» —“Dwarf and miniature conifers have a place in today’s landscape” by Valerie Sudol Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey) Dec. 10, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Scientists have named some recently discovered species of tree frogs after characters from Star Trek. Why? Because of the boops and trills and other sounds that these frogs make. And: naming your children with the virtues you hope they’ll...
Astronomers have spotted nearly 150 objects far out in space that are too small to be called stars, but they can’t be called planets, because they don’t orbit a star. They’re about the size of Jupiter, but given what we know about...