devil's-bit

American  

[dev-uhlz-bit] / ˈdɛv əlzˌbɪt /

noun

1. an eastern North American plant, Chamaelirium luteum, of the lily family, having a dense, drooping spike of small white flowers.

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devil's bit British  

noun

1. devil's bit scabious See scabious 2

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Etymology

Origin of devil's-bit

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Example Sentences

The species depends on just one plant, Devil's-bit Scabious, which grows across a range of grassland and heathland sites, most often grazed by cattle.

From BBC

They count the larval webs or nests that the caterpillars group together to form after hatching from eggs laid on Devil's-bit Scabious.

From BBC

The butterfly depends on a network of marshy grassland habitat, usually grazed by cattle, with a plentiful supply of the devil's-bit scabious plant - its favourite food.

From BBC

Seven years on, it is starting to look respectable, filled with fritillaries, oxeye daisies, devil’s-bit scabious, and bird’s-foot trefoil.

From The Guardian

Small scabious mining bees can only be found in Scotland in the Cairngorms and feed exclusively on a plant known as devil's-bit scabious - so called because the roots come to an abrupt end "as if the devil had bitten them off".

From BBC