mertensia

mertensia
/meuhr ten"see euh, -shee euh, -sheuh/, n.
any of various plants belonging to the genus Mertensia, of the borage family, including the lungworts and the Virginia cowslip.
[ < NL (1797), after Franz Karl Mertens (d. 1831), German botanist; see -IA]

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▪ plant genus
 genus of about 50 temperate North American and Eurasian species of plants in the family Boraginaceae, including the Virginia cowslip, or Virginia bluebell (M. virginica), a popular spring-blooming garden and wild flower with drooping, bell-shaped, pink flowers that turn blue. The Virginia cowslip is native in moist woods and wet meadows in eastern North America and has smooth, elliptical leaves and reaches approximately 60 cm (2 feet) high.

      Northern shorewort, oyster plant, or sea-lungwort (M. maritima), a fleshy, grayish-leaved plant, is about the same height as Virginia bluebell but has smaller flowers that bloom in summer. It grows along pebbly coasts of northern North America and northern Europe. Languid ladies (M. paniculata), from western North America, is smaller, hairy, and summer blooming, and it has smaller, more nodding blooms.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Mertensia — Mertensia, 1) M. H. B., Pflanzengattung aus der Familie der Celtideae, den Ulmaecen zunächst stehend; Arten: sonst zu Celtis gezählt, meist in Südamerika; 2) M. W., Gattung aus der Familie der Gleicheniaceae, von Andern zu Gleichenia gehörend;… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Mertensĭa — Willd., Farngattung der Gleicheniazeen, mit kriechendem Wurzelstock, meist dichotom verzweigten Wedeln und zu beiden Seiten von der Mittelrippe der länglichen bis linealen Segmente liegenden Sporenhäufchen. Sie finden sich besonders in den… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Mertensia — Mertensĭa Willd., Pflanzengattg. der Gleicheniazeen, mit etwa 30 krautartigen, namentlich tropischen Arten (bekannteste M. dichotŏma Willd.). Rhizom stärkemehlreich, geröstet als Nahrungsmittel dienend …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Mertensia —   Mertensia …   Wikipedia Español

  • Mertensia — Mertensie Mertensies …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Mertensia — For the comb jelly, see Mertensia ovum. Mertensia Mertensia echioides Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Mertensia — noun a genus of herbs belonging to the family Boraginaceae that grow in temperate regions and have blue or purple flowers shaped like funnels • Syn: ↑genus Mertensia • Hypernyms: ↑plant genus • Member Holonyms: ↑Boraginaceae, ↑family Boraginaceae …   Useful english dictionary

  • Mertensia — ID 53324 Symbol Key MERTE Common Name bluebells Family Boraginaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity N/A US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO,… …   USDA Plant Characteristics

  • Mertensia ovum — Scientific classif …   Wikipedia

  • Mertensia paniculata — Northern Bluebell originating from Clearwater National Forest, Idaho. Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

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