| Noun | 1. | genus Xeranthemum - genus of annual densely hairy herbs of Mediterranean to southwestern Asia asterid dicot genus - genus of more or less advanced dicotyledonous herbs and some trees and shrubs aster family, Asteraceae, Compositae, family Asteraceae, family Compositae - plants with heads composed of many florets: aster; daisy; dandelion; goldenrod; marigold; lettuces; ragweed; sunflower; thistle; zinnia xeranthemum - any plant of the genus Xeranthemum native to southern Europe having chaffy or silvery flower heads with purplish tubular flowers immortelle, Xeranthemum annuum - mostly widely cultivated species of everlasting flowers having usually purple flowers; southern Europe to Iran; naturalized elsewhere |