catchfly

American  

[kach-flahy] / ˈkætʃˌflaɪ /

noun

• catchflies
  plural

1. any of various plants, especially of the genera Silene and Lychnis, having a viscid secretion on the stem and calyx in which small insects are sometimes caught.

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catchfly British  

/ ˈkætʃˌflaɪ /

noun

1. any of several caryophyllaceous plants of the genus Silene that have sticky calyxes and stems on which insects are sometimes trapped

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• catchflies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of catchfly

1590–1600; from phrase catch ( the ) fly

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

catchfly catchflies

And it threatens rare endemic plants found in rocky scablands, such as Spalding’s catchfly, a federally protected perennial with pale pink, trumpet-shaped flowers.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 3, 2022

Forked catchfly, 130Foxtail, green, yellow, 117 Garlic, field, wild, 119Gaura, 147Geraniaceae, 142Geranium family, 142 Glume, one of the outer floral envelopes in grasses or sedges.

From Seeds of Michigan Weeds Bulletin 260, Michigan State Agricultural College Experiment Station, Division of Botany, March, 1910 by Beal, W. J. (William James)

Miss Sherbourne, you sent me that catchfly from Hurford.

From A Pair of Schoolgirls A Story of School Days by Brazil, Angela

Then had come brilliant spots and splashes of color on the summer slopes—purple butterwort, golden ragweed, aconite, buttercup, deep crimson mossy patches of saxifrage, rosy heather, catchfly, wild geranium, cinnamon rose.

From Days of the Discoverers by Choate, Florence

Pilfering ants find death as speedy on the sticky surfaces here as on any catchfly.

From Wild Flowers An Aid to Knowledge of Our Wild Flowers and Their Insect Visitors by Blanchan, Neltje

In succession they passed ankle-deep through the spotted silk of soft rose catchflies, through the tufted satin of feathered pinks, and the blue velvet of forget-me-nots, studded with melancholy little eyes.

From Abbe Mouret's Transgression by Zola, Émile

Among these are some kinds of sedges, chickweeds, and catchflies.

From Seed Dispersal by Beal, W. J. (William James)

The third week in March is the time to sow sweet peas, poppies, catchflies, and all the hardy annual plants.

From The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches, Adapted to the Use of Private Families by Eaton, Mary, fl. 1823-1849

Day-blooming catchflies have no perfume, nor do they need it; their color and markings are a sufficient guide to the butterflies.

From Wild Flowers An Aid to Knowledge of Our Wild Flowers and Their Insect Visitors by Blanchan, Neltje