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Flush (leaf)

IsabelledeGuinzan

Senior Member
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Hi everyone!
I'm not sure I understand the meaning of "flush" here:

"I look at an awful lot of leaves. I look at them and I ask questions. I start by looking at the color: Exactly what shade of green? Top different from the bottom? Center different from the edges? And what about the edges? Smooth? Toothed? How hydrated is the leaf? Limp? Wrinkled? Flush?"

Is "flush" a synonym of "red", meaning that the leaf is soon to die? Or on the contrary maybe a synonym of "young"? Or something completely different?
Thanks for your help!
It's possible it refers to the leaf being "flush with water" as #4 suggests.

There's a term called leaf flushing which refers to the production of new leaves on a tree or plant. I'm not sure if that's what the writer means - Is it a new leaf? It could both mean this and be related to the hydration level mentioned just before the word, since a newly produced leaf is likely to be well hydrated.
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Flush also means flat or level - usually relative to another object - so this usage could simply indicate that a leaf is smooth rather than wrinkled (which would also indicate that it was well hydrated).
How hydrated is the leaf? Limp? Wrinkled? Flush?"
There's only one possible interpretation here. The text asks questions and then provides possible answers. "Flush" can only refer to the degree of hydration - as Myridon said.
Yes, it seems pretty obvious to me now that it refers to the degree of hydration. I wasn't familiar with the term as an adjective and the dictionary didn't make it really clear for me! So thank you all for your precious help!
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