eriogonum

noun

any plant of the genus Eriogonum with small clustered flowers

• Hypernyms: ↑subshrub, ↑suffrutex

• Hyponyms: ↑umbrella plant, ↑Eriogonum allenii, ↑wild buckwheat, ↑California buckwheat, ↑Erigonum fasciculatum

• Member Holonyms: ↑genus Eriogonum

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\\ˌerēˈägənəm\ noun

Etymology: New Latin, from erio- + -gonum (from Greek gony knee); from the woolly stems of some species — more at knee

1. capitalized : a genus of No. American herbs (family Polygonaceae) with small clustered flowers subtended by an involucre

2. -s : any plant of the genus Eriogonum

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/er'ee og"euh neuhm, -ee euh goh"neuhm/, n.

any of various plants belonging to the genus Eriogonum, of the buckwheat family, native to southern and western North America. Cf. umbrella plant (def. 2).

[ < NL Eriogonum genus name, equiv. to Gk erio- (comb. form of érion wool) + -gonum < Gk -gonon, neut. of -gonos, -kneed, -jointed, adj. deriv. of gónu knee; so called because the jointed stems are covered with hair]