spathe

American  

[spayth] / speɪð /

noun

Botany.

1. a bract or pair of bracts, often large and colored, subtending or enclosing a spadix or flower cluster.

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spathe British  

/ speɪð /

noun

1. a large bract, often coloured, that surrounds the inflorescence of aroid plants and palms

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spathe Scientific  

/ spāth /

1. A large, leaflike, often showy bract that encloses a flower cluster or spadix, as in the jack-in-the-pulpit or calla lily.

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Other Word Forms

• spathaceous
  adjective
• spathed
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of spathe

1775–85; < Latin spatha < Greek spáthē blade, sword, stem; cf. spade ²

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spathe

The real show starts when the enormous outer layer called a spathe opens up, revealing a deep reddish interior.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Its hoodlike structure is called a spathe, which envelopes a bulb-shaped structure called the spadix, a fleshy knob dotted by dozens of tiny, petal-less yellow flowers.

From Salon ● May 27, 2025

But once she blooms, viewers can expect to see Putricia unfold a vibrant maroon or crimson skirt, known as a spathe, around her spadix which is the large spike in the middle of the plant.

From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2025

The tiny white flowers within the spathe are an important food source for the first pollinators of the year.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 25, 2022

Leaves more or less sagittate; spathe green Arrow Arum, Peltandra virginica.

From The Plants of Michigan Simple Keys for the Identification of the Native Seed Plants of the State by Henry Allan Gleason

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Related Words

• covering

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