dragonwort

English

Bistorta officinalis

Dracunculus vulgaris

Etymology

From dragon +‎ wort. Compare Middle English dragaunce, dragunce, dragance, dragans (“dragonwort”), from Old French dragonce, dragance, from Medieval Latin draguncia, dragancia (“dragonwort”), disfigured from the plural of dracontium (“dragonwort”), from Ancient Greek δρακόντιον (drakóntion, “dragonwort”).

Noun

dragonwort (plural dragonworts)

1. Common bistort, a perennial herb of Europe and Asia, of species Bistorta officinalis (syns. Persicaria bistorta, Polygonum bistorta), formerly used as an astringent.
2. Dragon arum, a perennial herb of Greece and the Balkans, of species Dracunculus vulgaris.
3. Tarragon, an edible aromatic herb, of species Artemisia dracunculus, in the daisy family, Asteraceae.
4. Green dragon, of species Arisaema dracontium

Synonyms

• (Bistorta officinalis): bistort, European bistort, meadow bistort, adderwort, Easter giant, Easter-ledges, patience dock, sweet dock, red legs, snakeroot, snake-root, snakeweed

Translations

Bistorta officinalis — see common bistort

Dracunculus vulgaris — see dragon arum

Artemisia dracunculus — see tarragon

Arisaema dracontium — see green dragon

References

• “dragonwort”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• dragonwort on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• dragonwort on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Category:dragonwort on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons