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moonflower

[ moon-flou-er ]

noun

  1. a plant, Ipomoea alba, of the morning glory family, having fragrant white flowers that bloom at night.


moonflower

/ ˈmuːnˌflaʊə /

noun

  1. any of several night-blooming convolvulaceous plants, esp the white-flowered Calonyction (or Ipomoea ) aculeatum
  2. Also calledangels' tears a Mexican solanaceous plant, Datura suaveolens, planted in the tropics for its white night-blooming 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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of moonflower1

First recorded in 1780–90; moon + flower
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Example Sentences

Beautiful limestone mansions showed off topiary gardens of starfruit trees and window boxes bursting with moonflowers.

She wore her flowing blue housecoat with the moonflower pattern, and she had her makeup on already.

In the Amazon, the moonflower cactus spirals around a tree trunk, high above the ground, so that it is above the water line when the forest floods and the water can disperse its seeds.

Other nocturnal blossoms deploy scents like siren calls: The creamy whorls of the moonflower vine hint at vanilla and sunscreen, while the heavy bells of brugmansia are franker and muskier in aura, verging on narcotic.

These include a moonflower, which attracted global interest in February.

From BBC

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