shellflower meaning and definition

SHELLFLOWER noun

Definition of shellflower (noun)

1. showy perennial of marshlands of eastern and central North America having waxy lanceolate leaves and flower with lower part creamy white and upper parts pale pink to deep purple
   • synonyms: Chelone glabra, shell-flower, snakehead, snake-head, turtlehead
2. cultivated for its shining oblong leaves and arching clusters of white flowers with pink shading and crinkled yellow lips with variegated magenta stripes
   • synonyms: Alpinia speciosa, Alpinia Zerumbet, Languas speciosa, shall-flower, shell ginger