- telegraph plant
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a tick trefoil, Desmodium motorium, of the legume family, native to tropical Asia, noted for the spontaneous, jerking, signallike motions of its leaflets.[1880-85]
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Universalium. 2010.
telegraph plant
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Telegraph plant — (Bot.), A tick trefoil ({Meibomia gyrans} formerly {Desmodium gyrans}), native of the East Indies; it is a leguminous plant whose lateral leaflets jerk up and down like the arms of a semaphore, and also rotate on their axes. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
telegraph plant — n. a tick trefoil (Desmodium gyrans) of tropical Asia: so called because the two lateral leaflets of each leaf move like a railroad semaphore signal … English World dictionary
telegraph plant — /ˈtɛləgræf plænt/ (say teluhgraf plant) noun a tropical Asian plant, Desmodium gyrans, remarkable for the spontaneous, jerking, signal like motions of its leaflets …
telegraph plant — noun a tropical Asian leguminous plant whose leaves have a spontaneous jerking motion. [Codariocalyx motorius.] … English new terms dictionary
telegraph plant — noun erect tropical Asian shrub whose small lateral leaflets rotate on their axes and jerk up and down under the influence of sunshine • Syn: ↑semaphore plant, ↑Codariocalyx motorius, ↑Desmodium motorium, ↑Desmodium gyrans • Hypernyms: ↑shrub,… … Useful english dictionary
Telegraph (disambiguation) — Telegraph may be:Telegraphy, class of means of long distance communication: *Electrical telegraph, a form of telegraph that uses electric signals *Optical telegraph, a semaphore based system *Hydraulic telegraph, a telegraph based on seeing how… … Wikipedia
telegraph — n. & v. n. 1 a a system of or device for transmitting messages or signals to a distance esp. by making and breaking an electrical connection. b (attrib.) used in this system (telegraph pole; telegraph wire). 2 (in full telegraph board) a board… … Useful english dictionary
telegraph creepers — Creeper Creep er (kr[=e]p [ e]r), n. 1. One who, or that which, creeps; any creeping thing. [1913 Webster] Standing waters are most unwholesome, . . . full of mites, creepers; slimy, muddy, unclean. Burton. [1913 Webster] 2. (Bot.) A plant that… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
semaphore plant — noun erect tropical Asian shrub whose small lateral leaflets rotate on their axes and jerk up and down under the influence of sunshine • Syn: ↑telegraph plant, ↑Codariocalyx motorius, ↑Desmodium motorium, ↑Desmodium gyrans • Hypernyms: ↑shrub,… … Useful english dictionary
Rapid plant movement — encompasses movement in plant structures occurring over a very short period of time, usually under one second. For example, the Venus Flytrap closes its trap in about 100 milliseconds. [Forterre, Y., J.M. Skotheim, J. Dumais L. Mahadevan 2005.… … Wikipedia
