definitions
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streptocarpus

[ strep-tuh-kahr-puh s ]
/ ˌstrɛp təˈkɑr pəs /
|

noun

any of various plants belonging to the genus Streptocarpus, of the gesneria family, native to Africa and Asia, having showy white, pink, or purplish flowers and often cultivated as a houseplant.

Nearby words

strepsipterous, strepsirrhine, strepticemia, strepto-, streptobacillus, streptocarpus, streptocerciasis, streptococcemia, streptococcus, streptococcus erythrogenic toxin, streptococcus mutans

Origin of streptocarpus

< New Latin (1828); see strepto-, -carpous; so named in reference to the tight spirals formed by the ruptured seed capsules
Also called Cape primrose.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for streptocarpus

  • The pedicels of Streptocarpus Rexii have also been observed in a fasciated state.

    Vegetable Teratology|Maxwell T. Masters

  • In species of Streptocarpus the cotyledons are permanent, and act the part of leaves.

    Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3|Various

  • Streptocarpus Wendlandii is a singularly interesting variety.

    The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots, 16th Edition|Sutton and Sons

British Dictionary definitions for streptocarpus

streptocarpus

/ (ˌstrɛptəˈkɑːpəs) /

noun

any plant of the typically stemless subtropical perennial genus Streptocarpus, some species of which are grown as greenhouse plants for their tubular flowers in a range of bright colours: family Gesneriaceae

Word Origin for streptocarpus

New Latin, from Greek streptos twisted + karpos fruit (from the shape of the capsule)
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