crossandra

[kruh-san-druh, -sahn-, kraw-]

noun

any of several plants of the genus Crossandra, native to Africa and Asia, especially C. infundibuliformis, having glossy leaves and red-orange flowers and sometimes cultivated as a houseplant.

Origin of crossandra

< New Latin (1806) < Greek kross(oí) tassels, fringe + -andra, feminine of -andros, adj. derivative of anḗr man, male; hence, “having a fringed stamen”

Also called firecracker flower.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for crossandra

crossandra

noun

any shrub of the free-flowering mostly African genus Crossandra, grown in greenhouses for their large yellow, lilac, or orange flowers: family Acanthaceae

Word Origin for crossandra

New Latin, from Greek krossos fringed + andros, genitive of anēr man, male (from the fringed anthers)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012