TELEGRAPH PLANT Definition & Meaning

telegraph plant

noun

a tick trefoil, Desmodium motorium, of the legume family, native to tropical Asia, noted for the spontaneous, jerking, signallike motions of its leaflets.

telegraph plant

noun

a small tropical Asian leguminous shrub, Desmodium gyrans, having small leaflets that turn in various directions during the day and droop at night

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of telegraph plant¹

First recorded in 1880–85

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

They also had a “telegraph plant,” a bush from the Philippines with paddle-like leaves that turn back and forth in the sun fast enough to be seen by the naked eye.

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The telegraph plant swivels its leaves to maximize exposure to sunlight, adjusting so quickly that you can see the leaves moves in real time.

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The existence of these spontaneous movements could easily be demonstrated by means of the Indian "Bon Charal", the telegraph plant, whose small leaflets danced continuously up and down.

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Public utilities include gas and electric light works, waterworks, telephone and telegraph plants, and electric and steam railways.

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