sea holly

3 definitions found

sea holly - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Sea holly \Sea" hol"ly\ (Bot.)
     An evergeen seashore plant (Eryngium maritimum). See
     Eryngium.
     [1913 Webster]

  Holly \Hol"ly\ (h[o^]l"l[y^]), n. [OE holi, holin, AS. holen,
     holegn; akin to D. & G. hulst, OHG. huls hulis, W. celyn,
     Armor. kelen, Gael. cuilionn, Ir. cuileann. Cf. 1st Holm,
     Hulver.]
     1. (Bot.) A tree or shrub of the genus Ilex. The European
        species (Ilex Aquifolium) is best known, having glossy
        green leaves, with a spiny, waved edge, and bearing
        berries that turn red or yellow about Michaelmas.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The holly is much used to adorn churches and houses, at
           Christmas time, and hence is associated with scenes of
           good will and rejoicing. It is an evergreen tree, and
           has a finegrained, heavy, white wood. Its bark is used
           as a febrifuge, and the berries are violently purgative
           and emetic. The American holly is the Ilex opaca, and
           is found along the coast of the United States, from
           Maine southward. --Gray.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Bot.) The holm oak. See 1st Holm.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Holly-leaved oak (Bot.), the black scrub oak. See Scrub  oak
        .
  
     Holly rose (Bot.), a West Indian shrub, with showy, yellow
        flowers (Turnera ulmifolia).
  
     Sea holly (Bot.), a species of Eryngium. See Eryngium.
        [1913 Webster]

sea holly - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  sea holly
      n 1: European evergreen eryngo with twisted spiny leaves
           naturalized on United States east coast; roots formerly
           used as an aphrodisiac [syn: sea holly, sea holm, sea eryngium
           , Eryngium maritimum]
      2: widely cultivated southern European acanthus with whitish
         purple-veined flowers [syn: bear's breech, bear's   breeches
         , sea holly, Acanthus mollis]