snapdragon

/ˌsnæpˈdrægən/

/ˈsnæpdrægɪn/

Other forms: snapdragons

Some snapdragon flowers are a solid color, and others have two colors, but they all resemble a dragon's head.

Snapdragons tend to grow in North America, North Africa, and some rocky areas of Europe, coming in colors ranging from white to yellow to pinks and reds. When you squeeze the sides of a snapdragon flower, the "mouth" opens and closes, making it a fun plant for kids. As a garden plant name, snapdragon dates from the 16th century. In the 18th century, it was also the name of a game (now obsolete) that involved eating raisins after snatching them out of burning brandy.

Definitions of snapdragon

1. noun

   a garden plant of the genus Antirrhinum having showy white or yellow or crimson flowers resembling the face of a dragon
   types:

   Antirrhinum coulterianum, white snapdragon

   California plant with slender racemes of white flowers

   Antirrhinum filipes, yellow twining snapdragon

   southwestern United States plant with yellow flowers on stems that twist and twine through other vegetation

   Antirrhinum majus, Mediterranean snapdragon

   perennial native to the Mediterranean but widely cultivated for its purple or pink flowers

   type of:

   flower

   a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms