1. A tall, spindly desert tree (Fouquieria columnaris) native to northwestern Mexico, with a twisted trunk and sparse foliage.
Usage: botanical; also called boojum tree or cirio
2. An imaginary creature or thing that is frightening or elusive; something that causes confusion or alarm.
Usage: literary; from Lewis Carroll's 'The Hunting of the Snark'

Examples

• The boojum tree stands like a ghostly sentinel in the Sonoran Desert.
• Tourists travel to Baja California to see the rare boojum in its natural habitat.
• The explorer feared the boojum was lurking in the shadows.
• In Carroll's poem, the Snark hunters pursue an elusive boojum.
• The boojum's unusual shape makes it instantly recognizable among desert plants.