Xerophyllum

noun

small genus of North American herbs having grasslike basal leaves: squaw grass; sometimes placed in family Melanthiaceae

• Syn: ↑genus Xerophyllum

• Hypernyms: ↑liliid monocot genus

• Member Holonyms: ↑Liliaceae, ↑family Liliaceae, ↑lily family

• Member Meronyms: ↑squaw grass, ↑bear grass, ↑Xerophyllum tenax

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\\ˌzirəˈfiləm\ noun

Usage: capitalized

Etymology: New Latin, from xer- + -phyllum

: a small genus of tall No. American herbs (family Liliaceae) having thick woody rootstocks, simple stems with rough-edged linear leaves, and small white flowers in a dense terminal raceme — see sour grass, squaw grass