adder's-tongue

[ ad-erz-tuhng ]

noun

1. a fern of the genus Ophioglossum, having one or sometimes two sterile leaves and a fruiting spike.
2. any of several American dogtooth violets.

adder's-tongue

noun

1. any of several terrestrial ferns of the genus Ophioglossum, esp O. vulgatum, that grow in the N hemisphere and have a spore-bearing body that sticks out like a spike from the leaf: family Ophioglossaceae
2. another name for dogtooth violet

Example Sentences

As for the least adder's-tongue fern, it can still be found growing on St Agnes, Rosemary visited recently when the local wildlife trust organised a special trip for her.

From BBC

She eventually struck gold, discovering dozens of the rare ferns - called the least adder's-tongue fern - growing on a small patch of heath land.

From BBC

The current record-holder for most base pairs — 149 billion — is a flowering plant with the scientific name Paris japonica; the record-holder for most chromosomes — 1,440 — is the adder’s-tongue fern.

From New York Times

And one tall yellow flower was called a dogtooth violet but was different and was really an adder’s-tongue.

From Literature

The adder's-tongue spearwort is only found in two places in the UK - Badgeworth, near Gloucester, and on Inglestone Common, near Bristol.

From BBC