Indian cress

American  

noun

1. a nasturtium, Tropaeolum majus, of South America, having red-spotted or red-striped, yellow-orange flowers, the young flower buds and fruits being used as seasoning.

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Etymology

Origin of Indian cress

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

Indian cress or Tropaeolum majus loses the spur in some double varieties and with it most of its symmetrical structure; it seems to be considered justly as a peloric malformation.

From Species and Varieties, Their Origin by Mutation by Vries, Hugo de

A stone plinth with roses and Indian cress; and, in front, chrysanthemums and creepers, a lizard, two snails, and butterflies are the chief features of his Flowers.

From The Standard Galleries - Holland by Singleton, Esther

Lark's′-heel, the Indian cress; Lark′spur, a plant with showy flowers, so called from the spur-shaped formation of calyx and petals.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

NASTURTIUMS.—The elegant nasturtium-plant, called by naturalists Tropoeolum, and which sometimes goes by the name of Indian cress, came originally from Peru, but was easily made to grow in these islands.

From The Book of Household Management by Beeton, Mrs. (Isabella Mary)