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Definition of houttuynia
houttuynia
/huːˈtaɪniə/
hout · tuy · ni · a
Plural:houttuynias
houttuynia Lexical Profile
CEFR
C2
Grade
13
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A genus of herbaceous perennial plants in the family Saururaceae, native to East and Southeast Asia, widely known for its single recognized species (Houttuynia cordata) which is cultivated as an aromatic culinary herb, traditional medicine, and ornamental ground cover.
Example
"The gardener planted houttuynia in the shaded, moist corner of the yard, knowing its heart-shaped leaves would quickly spread to form a dense canopy."
• Rhymes for houttuynia
Word Origin & Etymology
Named in 1783 by Carl Peter Thunberg in honor of the Dutch physician and naturalist Martinus Houttuyn, appended with the New Latin botanical suffix '-ia'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Houttuynia. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/houttuynia