turtlehead

American  

[tur-tl-hed] / ˈtɜr tlˌhɛd /

noun

1. any of several North American plants belonging to the genus Chelone, of the figwort family, having opposite, serrated leaves and spikes of purple or white, two-lipped flowers.

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Etymology

Origin of turtlehead

1855–60, turtle ¹ + head, so called from the appearance of its flower

Example Sentences

Penstemons like well-drained conditions; for heavier soils consider the dwarf turtlehead selection named Tiny Tortuga, with glossy foliage crowned with rose-pink blossoms in late summer.

From Washington Post • Feb. 25, 2019

The bumblebee might tell how it seems in the turtlehead petal, if he knows.

From Old Plymouth Trails by Packard, Winthrop

"Then to come nearer, look at that spray of turtlehead growing by that gray stone—the shadow it throws is as fine as thread lace, and it waves in the breeze just like the flower."

From The Deliverance; a romance of the Virginia tobacco fields by Glasgow, Ellen Anderson Gholson