plant : Idioms & Phrases

Index


action plant

  • noun prostrate or semi-erect subshrub of tropical America, and Australia; heavily armed with recurved thorns and having sensitive soft grey-green leaflets that fold and droop at night or when touched or cooled
    live-and-die; touch-me-not; sensitive plant; action plant; Mimosa pudica; humble plant.
WordNet

Age of coal plants

  • . See Age of Acrogens, under Acrogen. Anthracite or Glance coal. See Anthracite.
Webster 1913

air plant

  • noun plant that derives moisture and nutrients from the air and rain; usually grows on another plant but not parasitic on it
    aerophyte; air plant; epiphyte.
WordNet
Air" plant`
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A plant deriving its sustenance from the air alone; an aërophyte. ✍ The "Florida moss" (Tillandsia), many tropical orchids, and most mosses and lichens are air plants. Those which are lodged upon trees, but not parasitic on them, are epiphytes.
Webster 1913

alliaceous plant

  • noun bulbous plants having a characteristic pungent onion odor
WordNet

American pitcher plants

  • the species of Sarracenia. See Sarracenia.
Webster 1913

anise plant

  • noun native to Egypt but cultivated widely for its aromatic seeds and the oil from them used medicinally and as a flavoring in cookery
    anise; Pimpinella anisum.
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aquatic plant

  • noun a plant that grows partly or wholly in water whether rooted in the mud, as a lotus, or floating without anchorage, as the water hyacinth
    hydrophyte; hydrophytic plant; aquatic plant.
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arborescent plant

  • noun having the shape or characteristics of a tree
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artichoke plant

  • noun Mediterranean thistlelike plant widely cultivated for its large edible flower head
    Cynara scolymus; artichoke; globe artichoke.
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artillery plant

  • noun tropical American stingless nettle that discharges its pollen explosively
    Pilea microphylla.
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assembly plant

  • noun a factory where manufactured parts are assembled into a finished product
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Australian pitcher plant

  • noun a carnivorous perennial herb having a green pitcher and hinged lid both with red edges; western Australia
    Cephalotus follicularis.
WordNet
  • the Cephalotus follicularis, a low saxifragaceous herb having two kinds of radical leaves, some oblanceolate and entire, others transformed into little ovoid pitchers, longitudinally triple-winged and ciliated, the mouth covered with a lid shaped like a cockleshell.
Webster 1913

autophytic plant

  • noun plant capable of synthesizing its own food from simple organic substances
    autotrophic organism; autophyte; autotroph.
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bar-room plant

  • noun evergreen perennial with large handsome basal leaves; grown primarily as a foliage houseplant
    aspidistra; Aspidistra elatio; bar-room plant.
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bean plant

  • noun any of various leguminous plants grown for their edible seeds and pods
    bean.
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bedding plant

  • noun an ornamental plant suitable for planting in a flowerbed
    bedder.
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beef plant

  • noun South American plant having green to purple or red branches with green to purple ornamental foliage and spikes of insignificant woolly flowers with dry membranous bracts
    Iresine herbstii; beef plant; Iresine reticulata.
WordNet

beefsteak plant

  • noun plant grown for its ornamental red or purple foliage
    Perilla frutescens crispa.
  • noun South American plant having green to purple or red branches with green to purple ornamental foliage and spikes of insignificant woolly flowers with dry membranous bracts
    Iresine herbstii; beef plant; Iresine reticulata.
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belladonna plant

  • noun perennial Eurasian herb with reddish bell-shaped flowers and shining black berries; extensively grown in United States; roots and leaves yield atropine
    belladonna; deadly nightshade; Atropa belladonna.
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bog plant

  • noun a semiaquatic plant that grows in soft wet land; most are monocots: sedge, sphagnum, grasses, cattails, etc; possibly heath
    marsh plant; bog plant.
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bottling plant

  • noun a plant where beverages are put into bottles with caps
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broad-bean plant

  • noun Old World upright plant grown especially for its large flat edible seeds but also as fodder
    Vicia faba; field bean; European bean; English bean; broad bean; broad-bean.
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bulbous plant

  • noun plant growing from a bulb
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burn plant

  • noun very short-stemmed plant with thick leaves with soothing mucilaginous juice; leaves develop spiny margins with maturity; native to Mediterranean region; grown widely in tropics and as houseplants
    Aloe vera.
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butter-bean plant

  • noun bush bean plant cultivated especially in southern United States having small flat edible seeds
    butter bean; lima bean; sieva bean; Phaseolus lunatus.
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butterfly plant

  • noun orchid having large elliptic to obovate fleshy leaves and fragrant pink-and-white flowers dotted with red
    Phalaenopsis amabilis.
  • noun any orchid of the genus Oncidium: characterized by slender branching sprays of small yellow and brown flowers; often grown as houseplants
    dancing lady orchid; oncidium; butterfly orchid.
WordNet

California pitcher plant

  • noun marsh or bog herb having solitary pendulous yellow-green flowers and somewhat twisted pitchers with broad wings below
    Darlingtonia californica.
WordNet
  • the Darlingtonia California. See Darlingtonia.
Webster 1913

capsicum pepper plant

  • noun any of various tropical plants of the genus Capsicum bearing peppers
    capsicum; pepper.
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caricature plant

  • noun tropical Old World shrub having purple or red tubular flowers and leaf markings resembling the profile of a human face
    Graptophyllum pictum.
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carnivorous plant

  • noun plants adapted to attract and capture and digest primarily insects but also other small animals
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cart-track plant

  • noun common European perennial naturalized worldwide; a troublesome weed
    whiteman's foot; Plantago major; common plantain; white-man's foot; broad-leaved plantain.
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caryophyllaceous plant

  • noun a plant of the family Caryophyllaceae
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cast-iron plant

  • noun evergreen perennial with large handsome basal leaves; grown primarily as a foliage houseplant
    aspidistra; Aspidistra elatio; bar-room plant.
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castor bean plant

  • noun large shrub of tropical Africa and Asia having large palmate leaves and spiny capsules containing seeds that are the source of castor oil and ricin; widely naturalized throughout the tropics
    castor bean plant; palma christi; palma christ; Ricinus communis.
WordNet

Castor-oil plant

  • noun large shrub of tropical Africa and Asia having large palmate leaves and spiny capsules containing seeds that are the source of castor oil and ricin; widely naturalized throughout the tropics
    castor bean plant; palma christi; palma christ; Ricinus communis.
WordNet
  • . Same as Palma Christi.
Webster 1913

Cellular plants, Cellular cryptogams

  • (Bot.), those flowerless plants which have no ducts or fiber in their tissue, as mosses, fungi, lichens, and algæ.
Webster 1913

Century plant

  • noun tropical American plants with basal rosettes of fibrous sword-shaped leaves and flowers in tall spikes; some cultivated for ornament or for fiber
    American aloe; agave.
WordNet
  • (Bot.), the Agave Americana, formerly supposed to flower but once in a century; hence the name. See Agave.
Webster 1913

chard plant

  • noun beet lacking swollen root; grown as a vegetable for its edible leaves and stalks
    Swiss chard; Beta vulgaris cicla; leaf beet; chard; spinach beet.
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chemical plant

  • noun an industrial plant where chemicals are produced
WordNet

chickpea plant

  • noun Asiatic herb cultivated for its short pods with one or two edible seeds
    Egyptian pea; chickpea; Cicer arietinum.
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chicory plant

  • noun perennial Old World herb having rayed flower heads with blue florets cultivated for its root and its heads of crisp edible leaves used in salads
    chicory; succory; Cichorium intybus.
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chimney plant

  • noun bellflower of southeastern Europe
    chimney bellflower; Campanula pyramidalis.
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chinese lantern plant

  • noun Old World perennial cultivated for its ornamental inflated papery orange-red calyx
    bladder cherry; Physalis alkekengi; winter cherry.
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chinese silk plant

  • noun tall perennial herb of tropical Asia with dark green leaves; cultivated for the fiber from its woody stems that resembles flax
    Boehmeria nivea; China grass; ramie; ramee.
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christ plant

  • noun somewhat climbing bushy spurge of Madagascar having long woody spiny stems with few leaves and flowers with scarlet bracts
    Christ thorn; Euphorbia milii; crown of thorns.
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Coal plant

  • (Geol.), one of the remains or impressions of plants found in the strata of the coal formation.
Webster 1913

coca plant

  • noun a South American shrub whose leaves are chewed by natives of the Andes; a source of cocaine
    Erythroxylon coca; coca.
WordNet

common bean plant

  • noun the common annual twining or bushy bean plant grown for its edible seeds or pods
    Phaseolus vulgaris; common bean.
WordNet

common pitcher plant

  • noun perennial bog herb having dark red flowers and decumbent broadly winged pitchers forming a rosette; of northeastern North America and naturalized in Europe especially Ireland
    huntsman's cup; huntsman's cups; Sarracenia purpurea.
WordNet

common unicorn plant

  • noun annual of southern United States to Mexico having large whitish or yellowish flowers mottled with purple and a long curving beak
    ram's horn; Proboscidea louisianica; elephant-tusk; devil's claw; common devil's claw; proboscis flower.
WordNet

compass plant

  • noun North American annual with red or rose-colored flowers
    Lotus americanus; prairie lotus; prairie bird's-foot trefoil; prairie trefoil.
  • noun any of several plants having leaves so arranged on the axis as to indicate the cardinal points of the compass
    compass flower.
WordNet

Compass plant, Compass flower

  • (Bot.), a plant of the American prairies (Silphium laciniatum), not unlike a small sunflower; rosinweed. Its lower and root leaves are vertical, and on the prairies are disposed to present their edges north and south.
    Its leaves are turned to the north as true as the magnet: This is the compass flower. Longefellow.
Webster 1913

composite plant

  • noun considered the most highly evolved dicotyledonous plants, characterized by florets arranged in dense heads that resemble single flowers
    composite.
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coriander plant

  • noun Old World herb with aromatic leaves and seed resembling parsley
    coriander; Chinese parsley; cilantro; Coriandrum sativum.
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cormous plant

  • noun plant growing from a corm
WordNet

Cotton plant

  • noun erect bushy mallow plant or small tree bearing bolls containing seeds with many long hairy fibers
    cotton.
WordNet
  • (Bot.), a plant of the genus Gossypium, of several species, all growing in warm climates, and bearing the cotton of commerce. The common species, originally Asiatic, is G. herbaceum.
Webster 1913

cowpea plant

  • noun sprawling Old World annual cultivated especially in southern United States for food and forage and green manure
    Vigna sinensis; black-eyed pea; Vigna unguiculata; cowpea.
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cress plant

  • noun any of various plants of the family Cruciferae with edible leaves that have a pungent taste
    cress.
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cruciferous plant

  • noun any of various plants of the family Cruciferae
    crucifer.
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cruel plant

  • noun robust twining shrub having racemes of fragrant white or pink flowers with flat spreading terminal petals that trap nocturnal moths and hold them until dawn
    Araujia sericofera.
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cultivated plant

  • noun plants that are grown for their produce
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deciduous plant

  • noun a plant having foliage that is shed annually at the end of the growing season
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desert plant

  • noun plant adapted for life with a limited supply of water; compare hydrophyte and mesophyte
    desert plant; xerophile; xerophilous plant; xerophyte.
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disposal plant

  • noun a plant for disposing of sewage
    disposal plant.
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dove plant

Dove" plant`
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A Central American orchid (Peristeria elata), having a flower stem five or six feet high, with numerous globose white fragrant flowers. The column in the center of the flower resembles a dove; -- called also Holy Spirit plant.
Webster 1913

electrical plant

  • noun utility that provides electricity
    electrical system.
WordNet

epiphytic plant

  • noun plant that derives moisture and nutrients from the air and rain; usually grows on another plant but not parasitic on it
    aerophyte; air plant; epiphyte.
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evergreen plant

  • noun a plant having foliage that persists and remains green throughout the year
    evergreen.
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Fiber plants

  • (Bot.), plants capable of yielding fiber useful in the arts, as hemp, flax, ramie, agave, etc.
Webster 1913

field-pea plant

  • noun variety of pea plant native to the Mediterranean region and North Africa and widely grown especially for forage
    Pisum sativum arvense; field pea; Pisum arvense; Austrian winter pea.
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flamingo plant

  • noun commonly cultivated anthurium having bright scarlet spathe and spadix
    Anthurium andraeanum; flamingo flower; Anthurium scherzerianum.
WordNet

flax-plant

Flax"-plant` noun
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A plant in new Zealand (Phormium tenax), allied to the lilies and aloes. The leaves are two inches wide and several feet long, and furnish a fiber which is used for making ropes, mats, and coarse cloth.
Webster 1913

flowering plant

  • noun plants having seeds in a closed ovary
    flowering plant; angiosperm.
WordNet

Flowering plants

  • noun plants having seeds in a closed ovary
    flowering plant; angiosperm.
WordNet
  • plants which have stamens and pistils, and produce true seeds; phenogamous plants; distinguished from flowerless plants.
Webster 1913

Flowerless plants

  • plants which have no true flowers, and produce no seeds; cryptigamous plants.
Webster 1913

Foliage plant

  • (Bot.), any plant cultivated for the beauty of its leaves, as many kinds of Begonia and Coleus.
Webster 1913

four-lined plant bug

  • noun yellow or orange leaf bug with four black stripes down the back; widespread in central and eastern North America
    Poecilocapsus lineatus; four-lined leaf bug.
WordNet

friendship plant

  • noun low stingless nettle of Central and South America having velvety brownish-green toothed leaves and clusters of small green flowers
    panamiga; panamica; Pilea involucrata.
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garden pea plant

  • noun plant producing peas usually eaten fresh rather than dried
    Pisum sativum; garden pea; common pea.
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garden plant

  • noun any of a variety of plants usually grown especially in a flower or herb garden
WordNet

gas plant

  • noun Eurasian perennial herb with white flowers that emit flammable vapor in hot weather
    Dictamnus alba; dittany; burning bush; fraxinella.
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Glue plant

  • (Bot.), a fucoid seaweed (Gloiopeltis tenax).
Webster 1913

golden honey plant

  • noun perennial herb with showy yellow flowers; the eastern United States
    Actinomeris alternifolia; yellow ironweed; Verbesina alternifolia; wingstem; golden ironweed.
WordNet

graminaceous plant

  • noun cosmopolitan herbaceous or woody plants with hollow jointed stems and long narrow leaves
    graminaceous plant.
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gramineous plant

  • noun cosmopolitan herbaceous or woody plants with hollow jointed stems and long narrow leaves
    graminaceous plant.
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Grapple plant

  • (Bot.), a South African herb (Herpagophytum leptocarpum) having the woody fruits armed with long hooked or barbed thorns by which they adhere to cattle, causing intense annoyance.
Webster 1913

Grass-cloth plant

  • a perennial herb of the Nettle family (Boehmeria nivea or Urtica nivea), which grows in Sumatra, China, and Assam, whose inner bark has fine and strong fibers suited for textile purposes.
Webster 1913

gum plant

  • noun any of various western American plants of the genus Grindelia having resinous leaves and stems formerly used medicinally; often poisonous to livestock
    rosinweed; gumweed; tarweed.
WordNet

Hand plant

  • . (Bot.) Same as Hand tree (below).
Webster 1913

head cabbage plant

  • noun any of various cultivated cabbage plants having a short thick stalk and large compact head of edible usually green leaves
    head cabbage; Brassica oleracea capitata.
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heating plant

  • noun utility to warm a building
    heating system; heat; heating.
    • the heating system wasn't working
    • they have radiant heating
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herbaceous plant

  • noun a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests
    herb.
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Holy Spirit plant

  • . See Dove plant.
Webster 1913

honey plant

  • noun a plant that furnishes nectar suitable for making honey
WordNet

hooded pitcher plant

  • noun yellow-flowered pitcher plant of southeastern United States having trumpet-shaped leaves with the orifice covered with an arched hood
    Sarracenia minor.
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hot water plant

  • noun any plant of the genus Achimenes having showy bell-shaped flowers that resemble gloxinias
    achimenes.
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Humble plant

  • noun prostrate or semi-erect subshrub of tropical America, and Australia; heavily armed with recurved thorns and having sensitive soft grey-green leaflets that fold and droop at night or when touched or cooled
    live-and-die; touch-me-not; sensitive plant; action plant; Mimosa pudica; humble plant.
WordNet
  • (Bot.), a species of sensitive plant, of the genus Mimosa (M. sensitiva).
Webster 1913

hydrophytic plant

  • noun a plant that grows partly or wholly in water whether rooted in the mud, as a lotus, or floating without anchorage, as the water hyacinth
    hydrophyte; hydrophytic plant; aquatic plant.
WordNet

ice plant

  • noun Old World annual widely naturalized in warm regions having white flowers and fleshy foliage covered with hairs that resemble ice
    Mesembryanthemum crystallinum; ice plant.
WordNet
Ice" plant`
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum), sprinkled with pellucid, watery vesicles, which glisten like ice. It is native along the Mediterranean, in the Canaries, and in South Africa. Its juice is said to be demulcent and diuretic; its ashes are used in Spain in making glass.
Webster 1913

icicle plant

  • noun Old World annual widely naturalized in warm regions having white flowers and fleshy foliage covered with hairs that resemble ice
    Mesembryanthemum crystallinum; ice plant.
WordNet

india-rubber plant

  • noun large tropical Asian tree frequently dwarfed as a houseplant; source of Assam rubber
    India-rubber tree; Ficus elastica; India-rubber fig; India-rubber plant; Assam rubber.
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Indigo plant

  • noun deciduous subshrub of southeastern Asia having pinnate leaves and clusters of red or purple flowers; a source of indigo dye
    Indigofera tinctoria; indigo.
WordNet
  • (Bot.), a leguminous plant of several species (genus Indigofera), from which indigo is prepared. The different varieties are natives of Asia, Africa, and America. Several species are cultivated, of which the most important are the I. tinctoria, or common indigo plant, the I. Anil, a larger species, and the I. disperma.
Webster 1913

industrial plant

  • noun buildings for carrying on industrial labor
    plant; works.
    • they built a large plant to manufacture automobiles
WordNet

Ink plant

  • (Bot.), a New Zealand shrub (Coriaria thumifolia), the berries of which uield a juice which forms an ink.
Webster 1913

iridaceous plant

  • noun any bulbous plant of the family Iridaceae
WordNet

ivory plant

  • noun a stemless palm tree of Brazil and Peru bearing ivory nuts
    ivory palm; Phytelephas macrocarpa; ivory-nut palm.
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Jelly plant

  • (Bot.), Australian name of an edible seaweed (Eucheuma speciosum), from which an excellent jelly is made. J. Smith.
Webster 1913

jumping plant louse

  • noun small active cicada-like insect with hind legs adapted for leaping; feeds on plant juices
    psyllid; psylla.
WordNet

kangaroo-foot plant

  • noun sedgelike spring-flowering herb having clustered flowers covered with woolly hairs; Australia
    kangaroo's-foot; kangaroo paw; Anigozanthus manglesii; kangaroo's paw; Australian sword lily.
WordNet

Lattice plant

  • (Bot.), an aquatic plant of Madagascar (Ouvirandra fenestralis), whose leaves have interstices between their ribs and cross veins, so as to resemble latticework. A second species is O. Berneriana. The genus is merged in Aponogeton by recent authors.
Webster 1913

Lead plant

  • noun shrub of sandy woodlands and stream banks of western United States having hoary pinnate flowers and dull-colored racemose flowers; thought to indicate the presence of lead ore
    leadplant; Amorpha canescens.
WordNet
  • (Bot.), a low leguminous plant, genus Amorpha (A. canescens), found in the Northwestern United States, where its presence is supposed to indicate lead ore. Gray.
Webster 1913

Leafless plants

  • plants having no foliage, though leaves may be present in the form of scales and bracts. See Leaf, n., 1 and 2.
Webster 1913

Leather plant

  • (Bot.), one or more New Zealand plants of the composite genus Celmisia, which have white or buff tomentose leaves.
Webster 1913

leguminous plant

  • noun an erect or climbing bean or pea plant of the family Leguminosae
    legume.
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lentil plant

  • noun widely cultivated Eurasian annual herb grown for its edible flattened seeds that are cooked like peas and also ground into meal and for its leafy stalks that are used as fodder
    lentil; Lens culinaris.
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leopard plant

  • noun any of various plants of temperate Eurasia; grown for their yellow flowers and handsome foliage
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ligneous plant

  • noun a plant having hard lignified tissues or woody parts especially stems
    ligneous plant.
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liliaceous plant

  • noun plant growing from a bulb or corm or rhizome or tuber
WordNet

lima bean plant

  • noun bush or tall-growing bean plant having large flat edible seeds
    lima bean; Phaseolus limensis.
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lipstick plant

  • noun epiphyte or creeping on rocks; Malaysian plant having somewhat fleshy leaves and bright red flowers
    Aeschynanthus radicans.
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lithophytic plant

  • noun plant that grows on rocks or stony soil and derives nourishment from the atmosphere
    lithophyte.
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lobster plant

  • noun tropical American plant having poisonous milk and showy tapering usually scarlet petallike leaves surrounding small yellow flowers
    Euphorbia pulcherrima; painted leaf; Mexican flameleaf; Christmas star; poinsettia; Christmas flower.
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looking-glass plant

  • noun small tree of coastal regions of Old World tropics whose leaves are silvery beneath
    Heritiera littoralis.
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madia oil plant

  • noun South American herb with sticky glandular foliage; source of madia oil
    Chile tarweed; Madia sativa; melosa.
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manufacturing plant

  • noun a plant consisting of one or more buildings with facilities for manufacturing
    mill; factory; manufactory.
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marsh plant

  • noun a semiaquatic plant that grows in soft wet land; most are monocots: sedge, sphagnum, grasses, cattails, etc; possibly heath
    marsh plant; bog plant.
WordNet

mesophytic plant

  • noun land plant growing in surroundings having an average supply of water; compare xerophyte and hydrophyte
    mesophyte.
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mexican fire plant

  • noun poinsettia of United States and eastern Mexico; often confused with Euphorbia heterophylla
    painted leaf; fire-on-the-mountain; Euphorbia cyathophora.
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mistletoe rubber plant

  • noun shrub or small tree often grown as a houseplant having foliage like mistletoe
    mistletoe fig; Ficus deltoidea; Ficus diversifolia.
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mole plant

  • noun showy poinsettia found from the southern United States to Peru
    paint leaf; Euphorbia heterophylla; Japanese poinsettia.
  • noun poisonous Old World spurge; adventive in America; seeds yield a purgative oil
    Euphorbia lathyris; caper spurge; myrtle spurge.
WordNet

money plant

  • noun southeastern European plant cultivated for its fragrant purplish flowers and round flat papery silver-white seedpods that are used for indoor decoration
    honesty; Lunaria annua; silver dollar; satinpod; satin flower.
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monocarpic plant

  • noun a plant that bears fruit once and dies
    monocarpic plant; monocarp.
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monocarpous plant

  • noun a plant that bears fruit once and dies
    monocarpic plant; monocarp.
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moth plant

  • noun any of various orchids of the genus Phalaenopsis having often drooping glossy broad obovate or oval leaves usually dark green flushed purple or mottled grey and silver
    moth orchid.
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mother-in-law plant

  • noun an evergreen plant with large showy dark green leaves; contains a poison that swells the tongue and throat hence the name
    dumb cane; Dieffenbachia sequine; mother-in-law's tongue.
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Moving plant

  • (Bot.), a leguminous plant (Desmodium gyrans); so called because its leaflets have a distinct automatic motion.
Webster 1913

Musk plant

  • (Bot.), the Mimulus moschatus, a plant found in Western North America, often cultivated, and having a strong musky odor.
Webster 1913

non-flowering plant

  • noun a plant that does not bear flowers
WordNet

nonflowering plant

  • noun plants having vascular tissue and reproducing by spores
    pteridophyte.
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nonvascular plant

  • noun any of numerous plants of the division Bryophyta
    bryophyte.
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obedience plant

  • noun white-flowered West Indian plant whose root yields arrowroot starch
    arrowroot; Maranta arundinaceae; American arrowroot.
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obedient plant

  • noun North American plant having a spike of two-lipped pink or white flowers
    false dragon head; Physostegia virginiana; false dragonhead.
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okra plant

  • noun tall coarse annual of Old World tropics widely cultivated in southern United States and West Indies for its long mucilaginous green pods used as basis for soups and stews; sometimes placed in genus Hibiscus
    okra; Abelmoschus esculentus; Hibiscus esculentus; lady's-finger; gumbo.
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onion plant

  • noun bulbous plant having hollow leaves cultivated worldwide for its rounded edible bulb
    Allium cepa; onion.
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orchidaceous plant

  • noun any of numerous plants of the orchid family usually having flowers of unusual shapes and beautiful colors
    orchid.
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Oyster plant

  • noun edible root of the salsify plant
    salsify.
  • noun Mediterranean biennial herb with long-stemmed heads of purple ray flowers and milky sap and long edible root; naturalized throughout United States
    salsify; Tragopogon porrifolius; vegetable oyster.
  • noun long white salsify
    vegetable oyster.
WordNet
  • . (Bot.) (a) A plant of the genus Tragopogon (T. porrifolius), the root of which, when cooked, somewhat resembles the oyster in taste; salsify; called also vegetable oyster. (b) A plant found on the seacoast of Northern Europe, America and Asia (Mertensia maritima), the fresh leaves of which have a strong flavor of oysters.
Webster 1913

packing plant

  • noun a plant where livestock are slaughtered and processed and packed as meat products
    packinghouse.
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paper plant

  • noun tall sedge of the Nile valley yielding fiber that served many purposes in historic times
    Egyptian paper rush; Cyperus papyrus; Egyptian paper reed; papyrus; paper rush.
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parasitic plant

  • noun plant living on another plant and obtaining organic nutriment from it
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pea plant

  • noun a leguminous plant of the genus Pisum with small white flowers and long green pods containing edible green seeds
    pea.
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pebble plant

  • noun any of several South African plants of the genus Mesembryanthemum cultivated for showy pink or white flowers
    fig marigold.
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periwinkle plant derivative

  • noun an antineoplastic drug used to treat some forms of cancer
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pickaback plant

  • noun vigorous perennial herb with flowers in erect racemes and having young plants develop at the junction of a leaf blade and the leafstalk
    pickaback plant; Tolmiea menziesii; youth-on-age.
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pie plant

  • noun long cultivated hybrid of Rheum palmatum; stems often cooked in pies or as sauce or preserves
    Rheum rhaponticum; Rheum rhabarbarum; garden rhubarb; Rheum cultorum.
WordNet

pigeon-pea plant

  • noun tropical woody herb with showy yellow flowers and flat pods; much cultivated in the tropics
    red gram; dahl; dhal; Cajanus cajan; cajan pea; catjang pea; pigeon pea.
WordNet

piggyback plant

  • noun vigorous perennial herb with flowers in erect racemes and having young plants develop at the junction of a leaf blade and the leafstalk
    pickaback plant; Tolmiea menziesii; youth-on-age.
WordNet

pineapple plant

  • noun a tropical American plant bearing a large fleshy edible fruit with a terminal tuft of stiff leaves; widely cultivated in the tropics
    Ananas comosus; pineapple.
WordNet

Pitcher plant

  • noun any of several insectivorous herbs of the order Sarraceniales
WordNet
  • any plant with the whole or a part of the leaves transformed into pitchers or cuplike organs, especially the species of Nepenthes. See Nepenthes.
Webster 1913

pitcher-plant family

  • noun insectivorous plants
    family Sarraceniaceae; Sarraceniaceae.
WordNet

Plant bug

  • noun small bright-colored insect that feeds on plant juices
    leaf bug.
WordNet
  • (Zoöl.), any one of numerous hemipterous insects which injure the foliage of plants, as Lygus lineolaris, which damages wheat and trees.
Webster 1913

plant cell

  • noun a cell that is a structural and functional unit of a plant
WordNet

plant closing

  • noun act of shutting down operation of a plant
WordNet

Plant cutter

  • (Zoöl.), a South American passerine bird of the genus Phytotoma, family Phytotomidæ. It has a serrated bill with which it cuts off the young shoots and buds of plants, often doing much injury.
Webster 1913

plant department

  • noun the division of a business responsible for building and maintaining the physical plant
    building department.
WordNet

plant disease

  • noun a disease that affects plants
WordNet

plant family

  • noun a family of plants
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plant fiber

  • noun fiber derived from plants
    plant fiber.
WordNet

plant fibre

  • noun fiber derived from plants
    plant fiber.
WordNet

plant food

  • noun any substance such as manure or a mixture of nitrates used to make soil more fertile
    fertilizer; fertiliser.
WordNet

plant genus

  • noun a genus of plants
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plant hopper

  • noun related to the leafhoppers and spittlebugs but rarely damages cultivated plants
    planthopper.
WordNet

plant hormone

  • noun (botany) a plant product that acts like a hormone
    growth regulator; phytohormone.
WordNet

plant kingdom

  • noun (botany) the taxonomic kingdom comprising all living or extinct plants
    kingdom Plantae; Plantae.
WordNet

plant life

  • noun (botany) a living organism lacking the power of locomotion
    plant; flora.
WordNet

Plant louse

  • noun any of several small insects especially aphids that feed by sucking the juices from plants
    louse.
WordNet
  • (Zoöl.), any small hemipterous insect which infests plants, especially those of the families Aphidæ and Psyllidæ; an aphid.
Webster 1913

plant material

  • noun material derived from plants
    plant material.
WordNet

plant order

  • noun the order of plants
WordNet

plant organ

  • noun a functional and structural unit of a plant or fungus
WordNet

plant part

  • noun any part of a plant or fungus
    plant part.
WordNet

plant process

  • noun a natural projection or outgrowth from a plant body or organ
    enation.
WordNet

plant product

  • noun a product made from plant material
WordNet

plant scientist

  • noun a biologist specializing in the study of plants
    phytologist; botanist.
WordNet

plant structure

  • noun any part of a plant or fungus
    plant part.
WordNet

plant substance

  • noun material derived from plants
    plant material.
WordNet

plant tissue

  • noun the tissue of a plant
WordNet

plant toxin

  • noun any substance produced by plants that is similar in its properties to extracellular bacterial toxin
    phytotoxin.
WordNet

plant virus

  • noun a plant pathogen that is a virus consisting of a single strand of RNA
WordNet

plant-cane

Plant"-cane` noun
Definitions
  1. A stalk or shoot of sugar cane of the first growth from the cutting. The growth of the second and following years is of inferior quality, and is called rattoon.
Webster 1913

plant-eating

  • adjective satellite (of animals) feeding on plants
    phytophilous; phytophagic; phytophagous.
WordNet
Plant"-eat`ing adjective
Definitions
  1. Eating, or subsisting on, plants; as, a plant-eating beetle.
Webster 1913

poison arrow plant

  • noun medium-sized shrubby tree of South Africa having thick leathery evergreen leaves and white or pink flowers and globose usually two-seeded purplish black fruits
    Acocanthera oblongifolia; winter sweet; Acocanthera spectabilis.
WordNet

poisonous plant

  • noun a plant that when touched or ingested in sufficient quantity can be harmful or fatal to an organism
WordNet

poker plant

  • noun clump-forming plant of South Africa with spikes of scarlet flowers
    Kniphofia uvaria.
WordNet

Pot plant

  • noun a plant suitable for growing in a flowerpot (especially indoors)
WordNet
  • (Bot.), either of the trees which bear the monkey-pot.
Webster 1913

power plant

  • noun an electrical generating station
    powerhouse; power station.
WordNet

purple velvet plant

  • noun Javanese foliage plant grown for their handsome velvety leaves with violet-purple hairs
    purple velvet plant; Gynura aurantiaca; royal velvet plant.
WordNet

pyramid plant

  • noun any of various tall perennial herbs constituting the genus Frasera; widely distributed in warm dry upland areas of California, Oregon, and Washington
    American columbo; American gentian; deer's-ear; columbo; deer's-ears.
WordNet

queensland grass-cloth plant

  • noun Australian plant of genus Pipturus whose fiber is used in making cloth
    Pipturus argenteus.
WordNet

radish plant

  • noun a cruciferous plant of the genus Raphanus having a pungent edible root
    radish.
WordNet

recycling plant

  • noun a plant for reprocessing used or abandoned materials
WordNet

red-veined pie plant

  • noun Asian herb (Himalayas)
    Rheum australe; Indian rhubarb; Himalayan rhubarb; Rheum emodi.
WordNet

Resurrection plant

  • noun densely tufted fern ally of southwestern United States to Peru; curls up in a tight ball when dry and expands and grows under moist conditions
    rose of Jericho; Selaginella lepidophylla.
  • noun small grey Asiatic desert plant bearing minute white flowers that rolls up when dry and expands when moist
    rose of Jericho; Anastatica hierochuntica.
WordNet
  • (Bot.), a name given to several species of Selaginella (as S. convoluta and S. lepidophylla), flowerless plants which, when dry, close up so as to resemble a bird's nest, but revive and expand again when moistened. The name is sometimes also given to the rose of Jericho. See under Rose.
Webster 1913

rhubarb plant

  • noun plants having long green or reddish acidic leafstalks growing in basal clumps; stems (and only the stems) are edible when cooked; leaves are poisonous
    rhubarb.
WordNet

roast beef plant

  • noun iris with purple flowers and foul-smelling leaves; southern and western Europe and North Africa
    gladdon iris; stinking iris; stinking gladwyn; Iris foetidissima; gladdon.
WordNet

rock plant

  • noun plant that grows on or among rocks or is suitable for a rock garden
WordNet

rocky mountain bee plant

  • noun plant of western North America having trifoliate leaves and white or pink spider-shaped flowers; sometimes used as an ornamental
    stinking clover; Cleome serrulata.
WordNet

Rolling stock, ∨ Rolling plant

  • the locomotives and vehicles of a railway.
Webster 1913

rouge plant

  • noun bushy houseplant having white to pale pink flowers followed by racemes of scarlet berries; tropical Americas
    rougeberry; bloodberry; Rivina humilis; blood berry.
WordNet

royal velvet plant

  • noun Javanese foliage plant grown for their handsome velvety leaves with violet-purple hairs
    purple velvet plant; Gynura aurantiaca; royal velvet plant.
WordNet

rubber plant

  • noun large tropical Asian tree frequently dwarfed as a houseplant; source of Assam rubber
    India-rubber tree; Ficus elastica; India-rubber fig; India-rubber plant; Assam rubber.
WordNet

rubiaceous plant

  • noun any of numerous trees or shrubs or vines of the family Rubiaceae
    madderwort.
WordNet

rupestral plant

  • noun plants growing among rocks
    rupestral plant; rupestrine plant; rupicolous plant.
WordNet

rupestrine plant

  • noun plants growing among rocks
    rupestral plant; rupestrine plant; rupicolous plant.
WordNet

rupicolous plant

  • noun plants growing among rocks
    rupestral plant; rupestrine plant; rupicolous plant.
WordNet

rutabaga plant

  • noun a cruciferous plant with a thick bulbous edible yellow root
    rutabaga; Brassica napus napobrassica; turnip cabbage; Swedish turnip; swede.
WordNet

saxicolous plant

  • noun plants growing among rocks
    rupestral plant; rupestrine plant; rupicolous plant.
WordNet

seed plant

  • noun plant that reproduces by means of seeds not spores
    spermatophyte; phanerogam.
WordNet

semaphore plant

  • noun erect tropical Asian shrub whose small lateral leaflets rotate on their axes and jerk up and down under the influence of sunshine
    Desmodium gyrans; semaphore plant; Codariocalyx motorius; Desmodium motorium.
WordNet

Sensitive plant

  • noun prostrate or semi-erect subshrub of tropical America, and Australia; heavily armed with recurved thorns and having sensitive soft grey-green leaflets that fold and droop at night or when touched or cooled
    live-and-die; touch-me-not; sensitive plant; action plant; Mimosa pudica; humble plant.
  • noun semi-climbing prickly evergreen shrub of tropical America having compound leaves sensitive to light and touch
    Mimosa sensitiva.
WordNet
  • . (Bot.) (a) A leguminous plant (Mimosa pudica, or M. sensitiva, and other allied species), the leaves of which close at the slightest touch. (b) Any plant showing motions after irritation, as the sensitive brier (Schrankia) of the Southern States, two common American species of Cassia (C. nictitans, and C. Chamæcrista), a kind of sorrel (Oxalis sensitiva), etc.
Webster 1913

sewage disposal plant

  • noun a plant for disposing of sewage
    disposal plant.
WordNet

shame plant

  • noun prostrate or semi-erect subshrub of tropical America, and Australia; heavily armed with recurved thorns and having sensitive soft grey-green leaflets that fold and droop at night or when touched or cooled
    live-and-die; touch-me-not; sensitive plant; action plant; Mimosa pudica; humble plant.
WordNet

sheep plant

  • noun perennial prostrate mat-forming herb with hoary woolly foliage
    Raoulia lutescens; vegetable sheep; Raoulia australis.
  • noun cushion-forming New Zealand herb having leaves densely covered with tawny hairs
    Haastia pulvinaris; vegetable sheep.
WordNet

shell bean plant

  • noun a bean plant grown primarily for its edible seed rather than its pod
    shell bean.
WordNet

shoeblack plant

  • noun large showy Asiatic shrub or small tree having large single or double red to deep-red flowers
    Hibiscus rosa-sinensis; Chinese hibiscus; China rose; shoe black; Rose of China.
WordNet

Sleep of plants

  • (Bot.), a state of plants, usually at night, when their leaflets approach each other, and the flowers close and droop, or are covered by the folded leaves.
Webster 1913

slipper plant

  • noun any of several tropical American shrubby succulent plants resembling cacti but having foot-shaped bracts
    slipper spurge.
WordNet

snake plant

  • noun stemless plant having narrow rigid leaves often cultivated as a houseplant
    Sansevieria trifasciata; mother-in-law's tongue.
WordNet

Snow plant

  • noun a fleshy bright red saprophytic plant of the mountains of western North America that appears in early spring while snow is on the ground
    Sarcodes sanguinea.
WordNet
  • (Bot.), a fleshy parasitic herb (Sarcodes sanguinea) growing in the coniferous forests of California. It is all of a bright red color, and is fabled to grow from the snow, through which it sometimes shoots up.
Webster 1913

Soap plant

  • (Bot.), one of several plants used in the place of soap, as the Chlorogalum pomeridianum, a California plant, the bulb of which, when stripped of its husk and rubbed on wet clothes, makes a thick lather, and smells not unlike new brown soap. It is called also soap apple, soap bulb, and soap weed.
Webster 1913

soybean plant

  • noun erect bushy hairy annual herb having trifoliate leaves and purple to pink flowers; extensively cultivated for food and forage and soil improvement but especially for its nutritious oil-rich seeds; native to Asia
    soya bean; Glycine max; soja bean; soya; soybean; soy; soja.
WordNet

spanish oyster plant

  • noun a golden thistle of southwestern Europe cultivated for its edible sweet roots and edible leaves and stalks; its yellow flowers are used as a substitute for saffron
    Scolymus hispanicus.
WordNet

spider plant

  • noun native to South America but naturalized in warm parts of United States; grown for its long-lasting spider-shaped white to pink-purple flowers
    spider flower; Cleome hassleriana.
WordNet

spinach plant

  • noun southwestern Asian plant widely cultivated for its succulent edible dark green leaves
    Spinacia oleracea; prickly-seeded spinach; spinach.
WordNet

Sporting plant

  • (Bot.), a plant in which a single bud or offset suddenly assumes a new, and sometimes very different, character from that of the rest of the plant. Darwin.
Webster 1913

steel plant

  • noun a factory where steel is made
    steelworks; steel mill; steel factory.
WordNet

stone mimicry plant

  • noun highly succulent stemless clump-forming plants with grey-green leaves similar in texture to lumps of granite; South Africa
    living rock; living granite.
WordNet

stone plant

  • noun any plant of the genus Lithops native to Africa having solitary yellow or white flowers and thick leaves that resemble stones
    stone-face; living stone; stoneface; lithops; flowering stone; stone life face.
WordNet

Stove plant

  • (Bot.), a plant which requires artificial heat to make it grow in cold or cold temperate climates.
Webster 1913

sun plant

  • noun widely cultivated in many varieties for its fleshy moss-like foliage and profusion of brightly colored flowers
    Portulaca grandiflora; rose moss.
WordNet

sundew plant

  • noun any of various bog plants of the genus Drosera having leaves covered with sticky hairs that trap and digest insects; cosmopolitan in distribution
    sundew; daily dew.
WordNet

swamp plant

  • noun a semiaquatic plant that grows in soft wet land; most are monocots: sedge, sphagnum, grasses, cattails, etc; possibly heath
    marsh plant; bog plant.
WordNet

sweet corn plant

  • noun a corn plant developed in order to have young ears that are sweet and suitable for eating
    Zea saccharata; sweet corn; green corn; Zea mays rugosa; sugar corn.
WordNet

sweet pepper plant

  • noun plant bearing large mild thick-walled usually bell-shaped fruits; the principal salad peppers
    pimiento; sweet pepper; paprika; bell pepper; pimento; Capsicum annuum grossum.
WordNet

sweet unicorn plant

  • noun a herbaceous plant of the genus Proboscidea
    Martynia fragrans; Proboscidea fragrans.
WordNet

tabasco plant

  • noun plant bearing very hot medium-sized oblong red peppers; grown principally in the Gulf Coast states for production of hot sauce
    hot pepper; tabasco pepper; Capsicum frutescens.
WordNet

tapioca plant

  • noun cassava with long tuberous edible roots and soft brittle stems; used especially to make cassiri (an intoxicating drink) and tapioca
    Manihot utilissima; mandioca; Manihot esculenta; gari; mandioc; manioc; bitter cassava.
WordNet

tarnished plant bug

  • noun widespread plant and fruit pest
    Lygus lineolaris.
WordNet

taro plant

  • noun herb of the Pacific islands grown throughout the tropics for its edible root and in temperate areas as an ornamental for its large glossy leaves
    Colocasia esculenta; dalo; dasheen; taro.
WordNet

Tea plant

  • (Bot.), any plant, the leaves of which are used in making a beverage by infusion; specifically, Thea Chinensis, from which the tea of commerce is obtained.
Webster 1913

Telegraph plant

  • noun erect tropical Asian shrub whose small lateral leaflets rotate on their axes and jerk up and down under the influence of sunshine
    Desmodium gyrans; semaphore plant; Codariocalyx motorius; Desmodium motorium.
WordNet
  • (Bot.), a leguminous plant (Desmodium gyrans) native of the East Indies. The leaflets move up and down like the signals of a semaphore.
Webster 1913

Tergiferous plants

  • (Bot.), plants which bear their seeds on the back of their leaves, as ferns.
Webster 1913

Tetraspermous plant

  • a plant which produces four seeds in each flower.
Webster 1913

tobacco plant

  • noun aromatic annual or perennial herbs and shrubs
    tobacco.
WordNet

tomato plant

  • noun native to South America; widely cultivated in many varieties
    tomato; Lycopersicon esculentum; love apple.
WordNet

Tortoise plant

  • noun South African vine having a massive rootstock covered with deeply fissured bark
    Dioscorea elephantipes; Hottentot's bread vine; elephant's-foot; Hottentot bread vine.
WordNet
  • . (Bot.) See Elephant's foot, under Elephant.
Webster 1913

tropical pitcher plant

  • noun any of several tropical carnivorous shrubs or woody herbs of the genus Nepenthes
WordNet

tuberous plant

  • noun plant growing from a tuber
WordNet

turnip plant

  • noun any of several widely cultivated plants having edible roots
WordNet

umbelliferous plant

  • noun any of numerous aromatic herbs of the family Umbelliferae
    umbellifer.
WordNet

umbrella plant

  • noun rhizomatous perennial herb with large dramatic peltate leaves and white to bright pink flowers in round heads on leafless stems; colonizes stream banks in the Sierra Nevada in California
    Peltiphyllum peltatum; Darmera peltata; Indian rhubarb.
  • noun late blooming perennial plant of shale barrens of Virginia having flowers in flat-topped clusters
    Eriogonum allenii.
  • noun African sedge widely cultivated as an ornamental water plant for its terminal umbrellalike cluster of slender grasslike leaves
    umbrella sedge; Cyperus alternifolius.
WordNet

vascular plant

  • noun green plant having a vascular system: ferns, gymnosperms, angiosperms
    tracheophyte; vascular plant.
WordNet

Vascular plants

  • noun green plant having a vascular system: ferns, gymnosperms, angiosperms
    tracheophyte; vascular plant.
WordNet
  • (Bot.), plants composed in part of vascular tissue, as all flowering plants and the higher cryptogamous plants, or those of the class Pteridophyta. Cf. Cellular plants, Cellular.
Webster 1913

velvet plant

  • noun any of various plants of the genus Verbascum having large usually woolly leaves and terminal spikes of yellow or white or purplish flowers
    mullein; flannel leaf.
  • noun Javanese foliage plant grown for their handsome velvety leaves with violet-purple hairs
    purple velvet plant; Gynura aurantiaca; royal velvet plant.
WordNet

Vinegar plant

  • . See 4th Mother.
Webster 1913

water chestnut plant

  • noun a plant of the genus Trapa bearing spiny four-pronged edible nutlike fruits
    caltrop; water chestnut.
WordNet

water plant

  • noun a plant that grows partly or wholly in water whether rooted in the mud, as a lotus, or floating without anchorage, as the water hyacinth
    hydrophyte; hydrophytic plant; aquatic plant.
WordNet
Wa"ter plant`
Definitions
  1. A plant that grows in water; an aquatic plant.
Webster 1913

waterwheel plant

  • noun floating aquatic carnivorous perennial of central and southern Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia having whorls of 6 to 9 leaves ending in hinged lobes for capturing e.g. water fleas
    Aldrovanda vesiculosa.
WordNet

Wax plant

  • noun succulent climber of southern Asia with umbels of pink and white star-shaped flowers
    Hoya carnosa.
WordNet
  • (Bot.), a name given to several plants , as: (a) The Indian pipe (see under Indian). (b) The Hoya carnosa, a climbing plant with polished, fleshy leaves. (c) Certain species of Begonia with similar foliage.
Webster 1913

Wild sensitive plant

  • noun tropical American plant having leaflets somewhat sensitive to the touch; sometimes placed in genus Cassia
    Cassia fasciculata; partridge pea; Chamaecrista fasciculata; sensitive pea.
WordNet
  • (Bot.), either one of two annual leguminous herbs (Cassia Chamæcrista, and C. nictitans), in both of which the leaflets close quickly when the plant is disturbed.
Webster 1913

wind-plant

Wind"-plant` noun
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A windflower.
Webster 1913

winter squash plant

  • noun any of various plants of the species Cucurbita maxima and Cucurbita moschata producing squashes that have hard rinds and mature in the fall
    winter squash.
WordNet

witch hazel plant

  • noun any of several shrubs or trees of the genus Hamamelis; bark yields an astringent lotion
    witch hazel; wych hazel; witch hazel plant.
WordNet

woody plant

  • noun a plant having hard lignified tissues or woody parts especially stems
    ligneous plant.
WordNet

woolly plant louse

  • noun secretes a waxy substance like a mass of fine curly white cotton or woolly threads
    woolly aphid.
WordNet

wych hazel plant

  • noun any of several shrubs or trees of the genus Hamamelis; bark yields an astringent lotion
    witch hazel; wych hazel; witch hazel plant.
WordNet

xerophilous plant

  • noun plant adapted for life with a limited supply of water; compare hydrophyte and mesophyte
    desert plant; xerophile; xerophilous plant; xerophyte.
WordNet

xerophytic plant

  • noun plant adapted for life with a limited supply of water; compare hydrophyte and mesophyte
    desert plant; xerophile; xerophilous plant; xerophyte.
WordNet

yam plant

  • noun any of a number of tropical vines of the genus Dioscorea many having edible tuberous roots
    yam.
WordNet

Yeast plant

  • (Bot.), the vegetable organism, or fungus, of which beer yeast consists. The yeast plant is composed of simple cells, or granules, about one three-thousandth of an inch in diameter, often united into filaments which reproduce by budding, and under certain circumstances by the formation of spores. The name is extended to other ferments of the same genus. See Saccharomyces.
Webster 1913

yellow pitcher plant

  • noun pitcher plant of southeastern United States having erect yellow trumpet-shaped pitchers with wide mouths and erect lids
    Sarracenia flava; trumpets; huntsman's horns; huntsman's horn; yellow trumpet.
WordNet