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papilionaceous

[ puh-pil-ee-uh-ney-shuh s ]

/ pəˌpɪl i əˈneɪ ʃəs /

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adjective Botany.

having an irregular corolla shaped somewhat like a butterfly, as the pea and other leguminous plants.

belonging to the family Papilionaceae (Fabaceae), that is often included as part of the Leguminosae.

Nearby words

Origin of papilionaceous

1660–70; < Latin pāpiliōn- (stem of pāpiliō) butterfly + -aceous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for papilionaceous

Giring landak (Crotalaria retusa) is a papilionaceous flower resembling the lupin, yellow, and tinged at the extremities with red.
The History of Sumatra|William Marsden
The flowers are papilionaceous, of a purple colour and arranged in panicles.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 4|Various
A central dorsal ridge, like the keel of a boat; the two anterior united petals of a papilionaceous flower.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray
The names of the five petals of the papilionaceous corolla are curiously incongruous.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray

Astragalus, a genus of papilionaceous plants, herbaceous or shrubby, and often spiny.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2|Various