maurandya
maurandya Lexical Profile
• noun
Any of a small genus (Maurandya) of climbing, perennial herbaceous plants or subshrubs in the plantain family (Plantaginaceae), native to Mexico and the southwestern United States, frequently cultivated as ornamental vines for their attractive, trumpet-shaped flowers.
"The gardener planted a maurandya along the trellis, knowing its vibrant tubular blooms would soon weave through the wooden slats."
Word Nuance & Usage
The term is capitalized when referring specifically to the formal taxonomic genus (Maurandya) but is typically written in lowercase when used as a common noun to describe the plants themselves.
• Rhymes for maurandya
Word Origin & Etymology
Named in 1793 by Spanish botanist Antonio José Cavanilles in honor of Catalina Pancratia Maurandy, an 18th-century Spanish patron of botany and wife of a professor in Cartagena.