adder's-tongue

American  

[ad-erz-tuhng] / ˈæd ərzˌtʌŋ /

noun

1. a fern of the genus Ophioglossum, having one or sometimes two sterile leaves and a fruiting spike.

2. any of several American dogtooth violets.

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adder's-tongue British  

noun

1. any of several terrestrial ferns of the genus Ophioglossum, esp O. vulgatum, that grow in the N hemisphere and have a spore-bearing body that sticks out like a spike from the leaf: family Ophioglossaceae

2. another name for dogtooth violet

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Example Sentences

She eventually struck gold, discovering dozens of the rare ferns - called the least adder's-tongue fern - growing on a small patch of heath land.

From BBC • Jan. 5, 2024

As for the least adder's-tongue fern, it can still be found growing on St Agnes, Rosemary visited recently when the local wildlife trust organised a special trip for her.

From BBC • Jan. 5, 2024

The current record-holder for most base pairs — 149 billion — is a flowering plant with the scientific name Paris japonica; the record-holder for most chromosomes — 1,440 — is the adder’s-tongue fern.

From New York Times • Sep. 12, 2022

And one tall yellow flower was called a dogtooth violet but was different and was really an adder’s-tongue.

From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen

The fruit of the Liliaceæ may be  either a pod, like that of the adder’s-tongue, or a berry, like that of asparagus or Solomon’s-seal.

From Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany For High Schools and Elementary College Courses by Campbell, Douglas Houghton