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shellflower

 - 4 dictionary results
Shellflower
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shell⋅flow⋅er

  [shel-flou-er] .
Use shellflower in a Sentence
–noun
1. an eastern Asian plant, Alpinia zerumbet, of the ginger family, having pendulous clusters of fragrant white flowers with variegated markings.
2. bells of Ireland.
3. any of several other plants with flowers or parts thought to resemble shells, as those of the genus Tigridia.
Origin:
1835–45; shell + flower
Shellflower
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bells of Ireland

 
–noun
a plant, Molucella laevis, native to western Asia, having inconspicuous white flowers, each surrounded by an enlarged green calyx.
Also called shellflower.

Origin:
1955–60; so called from the bell-like green calyx
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To shellflower
shell·flow·er   (shěl'flou'ər)   
n.  

  1. A tall eastern Mediterranean plant (Molucella laevis) having flowers with a tiny corolla and a large, green, bell-shaped calyx that enlarges considerably in the fruit.

  2. A tall tropical Asian plant (Alpinia zerumbet) having fragrant, showy, funnel-shaped, variously colored flowers.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

shellflower

any of about 250 species of plants in the genus Alpinia of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), native to warm climates of Asia and Polynesia. They have gingerlike rhizomes (underground stems) and grow to 6 m (20 feet). Their leaves are long-bladed and leathery. The flower petals form a shortened tube with three teeth and a large labellum (two fused stamens), giving an orchidlike appearance. The fragrant flowers of pink, yellow, or white are borne in dense, long clusters

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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