shellflower

Noun

Synonyms: shell-flower turtlehead snakehead snake-head Chelone glabra shall-flower shell ginger Alpinia zerumbet Alpinia speciosa Languas speciosa

Open English WordNet

Noun (2)

showy perennial of marshlands of eastern and central North America having waxy lanceolate leaves and flower with lower part creamy white and upper parts pale pink to deep purpleSynonyms: shell-flower turtlehead snakehead snake-head Chelone glabraType of marsh plant, bog plantMember of Chelone, genus Chelone
cultivated for its shining oblong leaves and arching clusters of white flowers with pink shading and crinkled yellow lips with variegated magenta stripesSynonyms: shall-flower shell ginger Alpinia zerumbet Alpinia speciosa Languas speciosaType of gingerMember of Alpinia, genus Alpinia

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

“shellflower” is listed under Chelone.

Che·lo′ne noun

Origin: Gr. χελώνη a tortoise. So named from shape of the upper lip of the corolla.

Botany A genus of hardy perennial flowering plants, of the order Scrophulariaceæ, natives of North America; — called also snakehead, turtlehead, shellflower, etc.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54