noun
- long, drooping clusters of small flowers without petals, typically found on trees like willows, birches, and hazels
Usage: botanical term; plural of catkin
Examples
- The willow tree was covered in fuzzy yellow catkins in early spring.
- Hazel catkins release pollen into the wind for reproduction.
- The birch catkins hung like tiny tassels from the branches.
- Many people are allergic to the pollen released by catkins.
- Catkins appear before the leaves on most deciduous trees.
- The botanist collected catkins to study their structure.
- Wind-pollinated trees often produce catkins instead of showy flowers.