[moh-ziz-in-thuh-krey-duhl, moh-zis] 
| a plant, Rhoeo spathacea, native to the West Indies and Central America, having leaves with purple undersides and white flowers enclosed in a boat-shaped envelope formed by two bracts. |
[moh-ziz-on-uh-raft, -rahft, -awn-, moh-zis-] , boat lily, oyster plant. [sal-suh-fee] | a purple-flowered, composite plant, Tragopogon porrifolius, whose root has an oyster-like flavor and is used as a culinary vegetable. |
| oyster plant n. See salsify. |
| sal·si·fy (sāl'sə-fē, -fī') n. pl. sal·si·fies In both senses also called oyster plant, vegetable oyster.
[French salsifis, from obsolete Italian (erba) salsifica.] |