astilbe

noun

astil·​be ə-ˈstil-(ˌ)bē 

: any of a genus (Astilbe) of chiefly Asian perennials of the saxifrage family that have simple or usually compound leaves and are widely cultivated for their panicles of usually white, pink, or red flowers

Examples of astilbe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The plants below include red twig dogwood, coral bells, and astilbe, to name a few. —Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 30 May 2024

Standard said some plants with black foliage that work well for the goth look are a sweet potato vine called Sweet Caroline Bewitched After Midnight, Dark Side of the Moon astilbe, and Rock ‘N Grow Back in Black sedum. —Joanne Kempinger Demski, Journal Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2024

Some flowers in my garden have been inherited from the previous owners: astilbes, baptisias, azaleas, and buddleias. —Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023

When the astilbes bloom, their white flowers make a shimmering mass in the sun, countering the meaning of their name, in Greek, as something that does not shimmer. —Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, genus name, probably from Greek a- a- entry 2 + stilbḗ, feminine of stilbós "glittering, gleaming, resplendent," perhaps of pre-Greek substratal origin

Note: The taxon Astilbe rivularis was introduced in Prodromus florae Nepalensis (London, 1825), a description in Latin of Nepalese plants collected by the British physician and botanist Francis Buchanan (1762-1829, known after 1815 as Francis Hamilton), who traveled widely in South Asia from 1794 to 1814 while in the Bengal Medical Service. Though Buchanan-Hamilton himself compiled notes on the plants, the conversion of the notes into an ordered botanical catalogue was carried out by the Scottish botanist and librarian David Don (1799-1841). The name Astilbe, which presumably should be taken to mean "not showy, dull," is attributed to "Hamilton MSS." (p. 211-12), so it was most likely devised by Buchanan-Hamilton himself, with no explanation. The plant is reported as growing at "Narainhetty Nepalensium," which may refer to the grounds of Narayanhiti, the Nepalese royal palace in Kathmandu.

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above