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definitions

snow plant

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noun

a leafless, parasitic plant, Sarcodes sanguinea, of the pine forests of the Sierra Nevada in California, having a stout spike of bright red flowers, a thickly scaled stem, and a corallike mass of roots.

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Origin of snow plant

First recorded in 1840–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for snow plant

Historical Examples of snow plant

  • The snow-plant is a curiosity and attracts by its brilliancy of color.

    Your National Parks

    Enos A. Mills

  • Most interesting of all is the snow-plant (sarcodes san-guinea Torrey).

    The Lake of the Sky

    George Wharton James

British Dictionary definitions for snow plant

snow plant

noun

a saprophytic plant, Sarcodes sanguinea, of mountain pine forests of W North America, having a fleshy scaly reddish stalk, no leaves, and pendulous scarlet flowers that are often produced before the snow melts: family Monotropaceae
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