erinus

British

/ ɪˈraɪnəs /

noun

any plant of the scrophulariaceous genus Erinus, native to S Africa and S Europe, esp E. alpinus, grown as a rock plant for its white, purple, or carmine flowers

"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

Etymology

Origin of erinus

New Latin, from Greek erinos, an unidentified plant

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

erinus

I proved the importance of the gaily-coloured corolla, by cutting off the large flowers of Lobelia erinus; and these flowers were neglected by the hive-bees which were incessantly visiting the other flowers.

From Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom by Charles Darwin

I have observed an analogous fact with the secretion of true nectar in the flowers of Lobelia erinus.

From Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom by Charles Darwin

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023