Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of several tropical South American plants of the genus Sinningia, especially S. speciosa, cultivated as a houseplant for its showy, variously colored flowers.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Any of several South American plants (of the genus Gloxinia or Sinningia) that have showy, colourful flowers

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[New Latin Gloxinia, name of genus in which S. speciosa was originally classified, after Benjamin Peter Gloxin, 18th-century German botanist.]

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Examples

  • Other plants, such as gloxinia and begonia, are known to have the power of bringing forth a new, complete plant from each of their leaves.

    Man or Matter Ernst Lehrs

  • The inn keeper clearly was partial to African violets and gloxinia.

    Wounderful You Mariah Stewart 1998

  • The inn keeper clearly was partial to African violets and gloxinia.

    Wounderful You Mariah Stewart 1998

  • The unbroken vista of sea and sky blurred before her weary eyes as other childhood memories intruded — her father bidding her a stilted farewell on his way to another of his interminable meetings at the Admiralty Court; the long, lonely evenings with nothing but her sketchpad and her gloxinia for company; footsteps shambling past her room in the wee hours of morning.

    Thief Of Hearts Medeiros, Teresa 1994

  • But he dreaded the thought of her languishing belowdeck, fading like one of her fragile gloxinia blooms deprived of sunlight and fresh air.

    Thief Of Hearts Medeiros, Teresa 1994

  • "I don't know why she chose gloxinia," Lucy went on, plucking away a dead leaf.

    Thief Of Hearts Medeiros, Teresa 1994

  • He'd never dreamed the delicate blooms of a gloxinia could be reproduced with such sensual violence.

    Thief Of Hearts Medeiros, Teresa 1994

  • A wheeled tea cart, tarnished with age, crouched near the window seat, its surface littered with miniature clay pots overflowing with a profusion of blooming gloxinia.

    Thief Of Hearts Medeiros, Teresa 1994

  • Both the gloxinia and her mother were forgotten as Lucy clutched the sketchbook with both arms.

    Thief Of Hearts Medeiros, Teresa 1994

  • Abutilons; agapanthus; alstremeria; amaryllis; anemone; aralia; araucaria; auricula; azaleas; begonias; cactus; caladium; calceolaria; calla; camellias; cannas; carnations; century plants; chrysanthemums; cineraria; clematis; coleus; crocus; croton; cyclamen; dahlia; ferns; freesia; fuchsia; geranium; gladiolus; gloxinia; grevillea; hollyhocks; hyacinths; iris; lily; lily-of-the-valley; mignonette; moon-flowers; narcissus; oleander; oxalis; palms; pandanus; pansy; pelargonium; peony; phlox; primulas; rhododendrons; rose; smilax; stocks; sweet pea; swainsona; tuberose; tulips; violet; wax plant.

    Manual of Gardening (Second Edition) 1906

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