papilionaceous

[ puh-pil-ee-uh-ney-shuhs ]

/ 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.

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Origin of papilionaceous

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

Words nearby papilionaceous

Paphlagonia, Paphos, Papiamento, papier collé, papier-mâché, papilionaceous, papilla, papillary, papillary muscle, papilliform, papilloma

How to use papilionaceous in a sentence

Astragalus, a genus of papilionaceous plants, herbaceous or shrubby, and often spiny.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2|Various
We now pass to the large order of Leguminous plants, characterised by their stipuled leaves, and irregular papilionaceous flowers.
The Sea Shore|William S. Furneaux
Papilionaceous flowers are almost dead floorers to me, and I cannot experimentise, as castration alone often produces sterility.
More Letters of Charles Darwin Volume II|Charles Darwin
It does not belong to the solanaceous, but to the papilionaceous or pea family, and its flowers have a delightful fragrance.
The Last Journals of David Livingstone, in Central Africa, from 1865 to His Death, Volume I (of 2), 1866-1868|David Livingstone

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