snow plant

noun

a leafless, parasitic plant, Sarcodes sanguinea, of the pine forests of the Sierra Nevada in California, having a stout spike of bright red flowers, a thickly scaled stem, and a corallike mass of roots.

Origin of snow plant

First recorded in 1840–50

Words nearby snow plant

snow mold, snow pea, snow pear, snow pellet, snow pellets, snow plant, snow pudding, snow ring, snow thrower, snow tire, snow train

Example sentences from the Web for snow plant

  • Most interesting of all is the snow-plant (sarcodes san-guinea Torrey).

    The Lake of the Sky |George Wharton James

  • The snow-plant is a curiosity and attracts by its brilliancy of color.

    Your National Parks |Enos A. Mills

British Dictionary definitions for snow plant

snow plant

noun

a saprophytic plant, Sarcodes sanguinea, of mountain pine forests of W North America, having a fleshy scaly reddish stalk, no leaves, and pendulous scarlet flowers that are often produced before the snow melts: family Monotropaceae