ragged robin

noun

1. a plant, Lychnis flos-cuculi, of the pink family, having pink or white flowers with dissected petals.

ragged robin

noun

1. a caryophyllaceous plant, Lychnis floscuculi , native to Europe and Asia, that has pink or white flowers with ragged petals Also calledcuckooflower See also catchfly

Word History and Origins

Origin of ragged robin¹

First recorded in 1735–45

Example Sentences

While many of these plants also appear in the garden at Great Dixter, Kent’s meadow has its own marked personality, partly thanks to the plugs of ragged robin she added “for their delicate dabs of pink,” alongside denser plantings of snake’s head fritillary, narcissus, crocus and tulips “with pink and red centers like weird fried eggs.”

From New York Times

Ragged robin turned up in more than one plot this year, along with a few other plants many gardeners may be hell-bent on removing: there were buttercups in Andrew Duff’s Savills and David Harber garden, a clover lawn on Laurélie de la Salle’s Harmonious Garden of Life, and a whole host of natives on Mark Gregory’s Welcome to Yorkshire garden.

From The Guardian

They went slowly along the foot of the bank, pushing in and out of the clumps of red campion and ragged robin.

From Literature

It occurred to her that perhaps she wasn’t the only one who wanted to revisit the Ragged Robin drive-in.

From New York Times

"She was a very good artist. We used to pick ragged robin and dog roses on the country lanes and we would come back and she would show us how to paint them. "I don't remember being in the room with her for any length of time on our own.

From BBC