Polyanthuses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Several hardy garden plants bearing dense clusters of brightly colored primrose-like blooms on sturdy stems
2. Cultivated primulas grown for their many small flowers clustered together in bunches atop each stalk
3. Hybrid primroses prized in gardens for their multiple colorful blossoms borne in tight heads above the leaves

Etymology: "Polyanthuses" is the plural of "polyanthus," a garden primrose with clusters of bright flowers on each stem. The name comes from Renaissance Latin "polyanthus," which joins the Greek prefix "poly-" meaning "many" with "anthos," meaning "flower." The name thus describes the plant's most striking feature: many blooms crowded together on a single stalk. The word is a learned coinage, built by scholars from Greek parts rather than passed down through everyday speech. Its Latin form dates to the Renaissance, when botanists were naming plants systematically and reaching for classical roots to describe them. Many-flowered plants of this kind were a natural target for such descriptive labels.

Synonyms: primula