noun
1. dense festoons of greenish-grey hairlike flexuous strands anchored to tree trunks and branches by sparse wiry roots; southeastern United States and West Indies to South America
• Syn: ↑Spanish moss, ↑black moss, ↑long moss, ↑Tillandsia usneoides
• Hypernyms: ↑air plant, ↑epiphyte, ↑aerophyte, ↑epiphytic plant
• Member Holonyms: ↑Tillandsia, ↑genus Tillandsia
2. common climber of eastern North America that sprawls over other plants and bears numerous panicles of small creamy white flowers
• Syn: ↑virgin's bower, ↑devil's darning needle, ↑Clematis virginiana
• Hypernyms: ↑clematis
3. vigorous deciduous climber of Europe to Afghanistan and Lebanon having panicles of fragrant green-white flowers in summer and autumn
• Syn: ↑traveler's joy, ↑traveller's joy, ↑Clematis vitalba
• Hypernyms: ↑clematis
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old man's beard noun
A name for several plants including traveller's joy
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Main Entry: ↑old
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n.
1) a wild clematis that has fluffy gray hairs around the seeds. ● Genus Clematis, family Ranunculaceae: several species, in particular traveler's joy and virgin's bower
2) a large lichen that forms shaggy grayish beardlike growths on the branches of trees. ● Usnea barbata and related species, order Parmeliales
Useful english dictionary. 2012.