| a West Indian foliage plant, Dieffenbachia seguine, of the arum family, having yellow-blotched leaves that cause temporary speechlessness when chewed. |
dief·fen·bach·i·a  (dē'fən-bä'kē-ə, -bāk'ē-ə)  n. Any of several plants of the genus Dieffenbachia native to tropical America, having stout, jointed stems and large, variegated leaves and widely cultivated as an indoor plant. Also called dumb cane, dumb plant. [New Latin, genus name, after Ernst Dieffenbach (1811-1855), German naturalist.] |
| dumb plant n. See dieffenbachia. [See dumb cane.] |
