swallowwort

swal·low·wort

celandine (sense )
any of several plants of the milkweed family, as black swallowwort (Cynanchum nigrum), a twining European vine with purplish-brown flowers, now wild in the E U.S.

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"swallowwort." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 16 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/swallowwort>.

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swallowwort

noun

See celandine.
Any of several vines of the genus Cynanchum having clusters of small white or brownish-purple flowers and slender dehiscent pods.

Origin of swallowwort

From the association of the plant by ancient writers with the return of the swallows in spring ; see celandine . Sense 2, from the forked shape of their pods after dehiscence, resembling a swallow's tail

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.