kangaroo paw

English

Etymology

Named for the shape of the unopened flower (lower left in picture), which resembles the paws of a kangaroo.

Noun

kangaroo paw (plural kangaroo paws)

Kangaroo paw.

1. Any of various perennial flowering plants of the family Haemodoraceae, endemic to the south-west of Western Australia.
   • 1984, Helen Garner, Yellow Notebook: Diaries 1978–1987, Text Publishing 2022, p. 118:

     Spring flowers everywhere—freesias in throng, and startling growths of kangaroo paw with its dark red, vividly red stalks.

References

• kangaroo paw on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Haemodoraceae on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Haemodoraceae on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons