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 called: angels' tears. a Mexican solanaceous plant, Datura suaveolens, planted in the tropics for its white night-blooming flowers

Word History and Origins

Origin of moonflower¹

First recorded in 1780–90; moon + flower

Example Sentences

She craned her neck to see all the topiary mazes of moonflower hedges and starfruit trees.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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