Search Result for "cereus": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (1)

1. genus of much-branched treelike or shrubby cacti with pronounced ribs and rounded needlelike spines and nocturnal flowers usually white;
[syn: Cereus, genus Cereus]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Cereus \Ce"re*us\, n. [L., a wax candle, fr. cera wax. So named from the resemblance of one species to the columnar shape of a wax candle.] (Bot.) A genus of plants of the Cactus family. They are natives of America, from California to Chili. [1913 Webster] Note: Although several species flower in the night, the name Night-blooming cereus is specially applied to the Cereus grandiflorus, which is cultivated for its beautiful, shortlived flowers. The Cereus giganteus, whose columnar trunk is sometimes sixty feet in height, is a striking feature of the scenery of New Mexico, Texas, etc. [1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

Cereus n 1: genus of much-branched treelike or shrubby cacti with pronounced ribs and rounded needlelike spines and nocturnal flowers usually white [syn: Cereus, genus Cereus]