snow-on-the-mountain

[ snoh-on-thuh-moun-tn, -awn- ]

noun

1. a spurge, Euphorbia marginata, of the western U.S., having leaves with white margins and white petallike bracts.

snow-on-the-mountain

noun

1. a North American euphorbiaceous plant, Euphorbia marginata, having white-edged leaves and showy white bracts surrounding small flowers

Word History and Origins

Origin of snow-on-the-mountain¹

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80

Example Sentences

Fittingly, its cousin, Euphorbia marginata, grows nearby and is called snow-on-the-mountain.

From Washington Post

The wild flowers disappeared, and only in the bottom of the draws and gullies grew a few of the very toughest and hardiest: shoestring, and ironweed, and snow-on-the-mountain.

From Project Gutenberg

The pasture was flooded with light; every clump of ironweed and snow-on-the-mountain threw a long shadow, and the golden light seemed to be rippling through the curly grass like the tide racing in.

From Project Gutenberg