centaurea cyanus

Noun
Synonyms: cornflowerbachelor's buttonbluebottleCentaurea cyanus

WordNet 3.0

Noun (1)

  1. an annual Eurasian plant cultivated in North America having showy heads of blue or purple or pink or white flowersSynonyms: cornflowerbachelor's buttonbluebottleCentaurea cyanus
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Cornflower \Corn"flow`er\ (k[^o]rn"flou`[~e]r), n. (Bot.) A conspicuous wild flower (Centaurea Cyanus), growing in grainfields. [1913 Webster]
Bachelor's button \Bach"e*lor's but"ton\, (Bot.) A plant with flowers shaped like buttons; especially, several species of Ranunculus, and the cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) and globe amaranth (Gomphrena). [1913 Webster]

Note: Bachelor's buttons, a name given to several flowers "from their similitude to the jagged cloathe buttons, anciently worne in this kingdom," according to Johnson's --Gerarde, p. 472 (1633); but by other writers ascribed to "a habit of country fellows to carry them in their pockets to divine their success with their sweethearts." --Dr. Prior. [1913 Webster]

Bluebottle \Blue"bot`tle\, blue-bottle \blue-bottle\, n.

1.(Bot.) an annual Eurasian plant (Centaurea cyanus) which grows in grain fields; -- called also bachelor's button. It receives its name from its blue bottle-shaped flowers. Varieties cultivated in North America have showy heads of blue or purple or pink or white flowers

Syn: cornflower, bachelor's button. [1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5]

2.(Zool.) A large and troublesome species of blowfly (Musca vomitoria). Its body is steel blue. [1913 Webster]

Bluets \Blu"ets\, n. [F. bluet, bleuet, dim. of bleu blue. See Blue, a.] (Bot.) A name given to several different species of plants having blue flowers, as the Houstonia c[oe]rulea, the Centaurea cyanus or bluebottle, and the Vaccinium angustifolium. [1913 Webster]
Centaurea \Cen`tau*re"a\, prop. n. [NL. See Centaury.] (Bot.) A large genus of composite plants, related to the thistles and including the cornflower or bluebottle (Centaurea Cyanus) and the star thistle (Centaurea Calcitrapa). [1913 Webster]
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