Whitlowwort (Noun)
Meaning
Any of various low-growing tufted plants of the genus Paronychia having tiny greenish flowers and usually whorled leaves; widespread throughout warm regions of both Old and New Worlds; formerly thought to cure whitlows (suppurative infections around a fingernail).
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- Whitlowwort is commonly found in dry areas of the southwestern United States, thriving in full sun with minimal soil requirements.
- This plant's spread habit and ability to form a dense mat makes it ideal for use as a low-maintenance groundcover or in rock gardens featuring whitlowwort.
- Whitlowwort's foliage usually has a blue-green hue, often providing a vibrant contrast against surrounding plants with more traditional green leaves.
- Historically, whitlowwort was used in herbal medicine to treat various skin issues, including the suppurative infections around a fingernail from which its name originates.
- In modern herbalism, whitlowwort is rarely if ever used, its various properties mimicked by more conventional western medicinal alternatives.