the root of a tall plant, Veronicastrum virginicum, of the figwort family, having spikelike clusters of small, white, tubular flowers, used in medicine as a cathartic and emetic.
2.
the plant.
Origin: 1710–20, Americanism; named after Dr. Culver, 17th–18th-century American physician
Main Entry: Culver's root Function: noun 1: a tall perennial herb (Veronicastrum virginicum) common in eastern No. America 2: therhizome and roots of Culver's root used as a cathartic called also leptandra
