venus's flower-basket

Euplectella \Eu`plec*tel"la\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? well plaited; e'y^ well + ? plaited.] (Zo["o]l.) A genus of elegant, glassy sponges, consisting of interwoven siliceous fibers, and growing in the form of a cornucopia; -- called also Venus's flower-basket. [1913 Webster]