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Definition of obedience plant
obedience plant
Plural:obedience plants
obedience plant Lexical Profile
CEFR
C2
Grade
8
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
North American A tall perennial herbaceous plant native to North America (Physostegia virginiana), belonging to the mint family and known for its spiky clusters of tubular pink or white flowers that will temporarily stay in place when bent.
Example
"We added the obedience plant to the perennial garden to attract hummingbirds and butterflies late in the summer."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The name is derived from the unique physical characteristic of its flowers; when the individual tubular flowers are pushed in a specific direction, they temporarily 'obey' and remain in that new position.
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Obedience plant. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 11, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/obedience plant