umbrella plant

1. A sedge (Cyperus involucratus syn. C. alternifolius) native to Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands and widely cultivated as an ornamental, having leafless stems with a terminal umbrellalike cluster of long narrow bracts.

2. Any of various other plants having parts with an umbrellalike form.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

umbrella plant

(Plants) an African sedge, Cyperus alternifolius, having large umbrella-like whorls of slender leaves: widely grown as an ornamental water plant

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

umbrel′la plant`

an African plant, Cyperus alternifolius, of the sedge family, that has several stems growing directly upward and an umbrella-shaped cluster of leaves at the top of each stem.

[1870–75]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	umbrella plant - rhizomatous perennial herb with large dramatic peltate leaves and white to bright pink flowers in round heads on leafless stems; colonizes stream banks in the Sierra Nevada in California Darmera peltata, Indian rhubarb, Peltiphyllum peltatum herb, herbaceous plant - a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests Darmera, genus Darmera, genus Peltiphyllum, Peltiphyllum - one species
	2.	umbrella plant - late blooming perennial plant of shale barrens of Virginia having flowers in flat-topped clusters Eriogonum allenii eriogonum - any plant of the genus Eriogonum with small clustered flowers
	3.	umbrella plant - African sedge widely cultivated as an ornamental water plant for its terminal umbrellalike cluster of slender grasslike leaves Cyperus alternifolius, umbrella sedge sedge - grasslike or rushlike plant growing in wet places having solid stems, narrow grasslike leaves and spikelets of inconspicuous flowers Cyperus, genus Cyperus - type genus of Cyperaceae; grasslike rhizomatous herbs; cosmopolitan except very cold regions

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References in periodicals archive

Shredded umbrella plant (Syneilesis aconitifolia): A deciduous perennial with deeply cut leaves that dies to the ground in winter but requires no cold protection in the Northwest.

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Giant reed and green reed had higher calorific value (about 18 MJ kg-1), which was significantly higher than umbrella plant, canna and alligator flag (P [?] 0.05).

Screening Wetland Plants for Nutrient Uptake and Bioenergy Feedstock Production

"People can create a mood in their garden using green, big-leaved plants such as hostas, ligularia and darmera (umbrella plant), which give you weight in a border.

Adding a touch of texture; GARDENING Award-winning designer Luciano Giubbilei, who is creating the Laurent-Perrier show garden at this year''s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, reveals the secret to his showpieces

Herbalists use the roots of Solomon's Seal to make a tincture for serious ailmentsDarmera peltata has also been known to be called the umbrella plant

Legends of the fall; With Carol GARDENS Klein of TV's Gardeners' World Few gardeners consider a plant's autumn garb as a reason for choosing it, but amazing changes occur as the year ebbs away

Or Darmera peltata, the umbrella plant, a vigorous clump-forming perennial, which throws up clusters of pretty pale pink flowers on naked stems in spring, followed by rhubarb-like leaves that go red in the autumn.

A SPLASH OF COLOUR; gardening

Another sedge is Cyperus alternifolius, the Umbrella Plant. A clump forming and unusual plant in so far as the bright green stems terminate in a whorl of narrow, strap-like leaves, from the centre of which emerge whitish/green flowers.

Water plants add a splash of colour

After an hour, she noticed the out of focus umbrella plant in the corner of her vision and she began to hope that it was real.

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QI've had an umbrella plant for four years and recently the leaves have been falling off.

Home: Why is my umbrella plant going down the tubes?