silversword

English

Wikispecies

Etymology

From silver +‎ sword.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsɪlvəsɔːd/

Noun

silversword (plural silverswords)

1. Any member of the genus Argyroxiphium of flowering plants native to Hawaii, with long, narrow leaves sometimes covered in silvery hairs.
   • 2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 37:

     It takes the silversword twenty years to screw up the energy for its final floral pyrotechnic.