snakeweed

snake·weed

S0506400 (snāk′wēd′)n. Any of various plants, such as bistort, reputed to cure snakebite.

snakeweed

(ˈsneɪkˌwiːd) n (Plants) another name for bistort²

bis•tort

(ˈbɪs tɔrt)

n. 1. Also called snakeweed. a European plant, Polygonum bistorta, of the buckwheat family, having a twisted root, which is sometimes used as an astringent. 2. any of several related plants, as P. viviparum. [1570–80; < Medieval Latin bistorta twice twisted. See bis, tort]

Thesaurus

Noun

snakeweed - low-growing sticky subshrub of southwestern United States having narrow linear leaves on many slender branches and hundreds of tiny yellow flower headsbroom snakeroot, broom snakeweed, Gutierrezia sarothrae, rabbitweed, rabbit-weed, turpentine weedgenus Gutierrezia, Gutierrezia - sticky perennial herbs and subshrubs of western North America and warm South Americamatchbush, matchweed - any of several plants of the genus Gutierrezia having tiny flower heads that resemble the heads of matches

Snakeweed

several species of plants of various families.

The name most often refers to Polygonum bistorta, a herbaceous plant of the family Polygonaceae. The thick, twisted, snakelike rhizome contains tannins, gallic and ellagic acid, catechin, oxymethylanthraquinone, starch, glucose, vitamin C, provitamin A, dyes, and other substances. The liquid extract and the decoction of the rhizome are used as astringents and antiphlogistics internally for intestinal disorders and uterine and gastrointestinal hemorrhages and externally for inflammatory diseases of the mucous membranes.

The name “snake weed” is also given to Virginia snake root (Aristolochia serpentaria), a North American plant of the family Aristolochiaceae. In various localities of the USSR “snakeweed” is used for about ten other species of plants, including ladies’-tobacco (Antennaria dioica)’, species of the genus Gnaphalium, family Compositae; and the lily of the valley (Maianthemum bifolium), family Liliaceae.

snakeweed

(snāk′wēd′)n. Any of various plants, such as bistort, reputed to cure snakebite.

snakeweed

(1) Bistort, see there; Polygonum bistorta.
(2) Plantain, see there; Plantago major.

bis·tort

(bis'tōrt) (Polygonum bistorta) A strongly astringent botanical with purported medicinal properties that is used both internally and externally. Scientific trials have been limited.
Synonym(s): adderwort, dragonwort, snakeweed, twice writhen. [L. bis, twice, + tortus, twisted]

snakeweed

noun

Synonyms for snakeweed

noun low-growing sticky subshrub of southwestern United States having narrow linear leaves on many slender branches and hundreds of tiny yellow flower heads

Synonyms

broom snakeroot
broom snakeweed
Gutierrezia sarothrae
rabbitweed
rabbit-weed
turpentine weed

Related Words

genus Gutierrezia
Gutierrezia
matchbush
matchweed