toothwort

tooth·wort  (tthwûrt, -wôrt)

n.

1. Any of several eastern North American plants of the genus Cardamine, such as the crinkleroot, having fleshy rhizomes and palmately divided leaves.

2. A parasitic European plant (Lathraea squamaria) having scaly cream-colored or pink stems and pinkish flowers.

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[From its tooth-shaped scales.]

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toothwort [ˈtuːθˌwɜːt]

n

1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) a parasitic European scrophulariaceous plant, Lathraea squamaria, having no green parts, scaly cream or pink stems, pinkish flowers, and a rhizome covered with toothlike scales

2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) any North American or Eurasian plant of the genus Dentaria, having creeping rhizomes covered with toothlike projections: family Brassicaceae (crucifers) See also crinkleroot

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

toothwort - North American herb with pungent scaly or toothed roots Cardamine diphylla, crinkle root, crinkle-root, crinkleroot, Dentaria diphylla, pepper root bitter cress, bittercress - any of various herbs of the genus Cardamine, having usually pinnate leaves and racemes of white, pink or purple flowers; cosmopolitan except Antarctic