astilbe

noun

astil·​be ə-ˈstil-(ˌ)bē 

: any of a genus (Astilbe) of chiefly Asian perennials of the saxifrage family that have simple or usually compound leaves and are widely cultivated for their panicles of usually white, pink, or red flowers

Examples of astilbe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some flowers in my garden have been inherited from the previous owners: astilbes, baptisias, azaleas, and buddleias. —Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023

When the astilbes bloom, their white flowers make a shimmering mass in the sun, countering the meaning of their name, in Greek, as something that does not shimmer. —Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023

The bouquet featured trailing jasmine, pale pink and cream sweet peas, royal porcelain ivory spray roses, pink o’hara garden roses, pink wax flower and baby pink astilbe. —Town & Country, 17 July 2023

For sun, available at Heyden’s Gardens. Dark Side of the Moon astilbe Megan Hirsch, perennial grower at Milaeger's, suggested this new astilbe. —Joanne Kempinger Demski, Journal Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2023

Purple hydrangea, silver and gold astilbe sprays and silver snowflakes add color to the 10-foot-tall Christmas tree at the base of the sweeping staircase. —oregonlive, 9 Dec. 2022

Feathery pink astilbe, added by gardener Rick Elder, brings a soft, organic note to the corridor, and in the distance, a 150-year-old bronze beech forms a majestic backdrop behind a sweet marble statue of a child. —Katy Elliott, WSJ, 17 Aug. 2022

Anemone, astilbe, fern, hosta, oakleaf hydrangea, ligularia, rhododendron, toad lily, and woodland phlox thrive in many mainland U.S. regions; ajuga, clivia, tropical gingers and bromeliads are good choices for the warmest climates. —Jessica Damiano, BostonGlobe.com, 15 May 2022

The space accommodated a stand of feathery dappled willows, coral bells, ferns, lamb’s ear, hydrangea, and astilbe. —Susan Degrane, chicagotribune.com, 21 July 2021

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, genus name, probably from Greek a- a- entry 2 + stilbḗ, feminine of stilbós "glittering, gleaming, resplendent," perhaps of pre-Greek substratal origin

Note: The taxon Astilbe rivularis was introduced in Prodromus florae Nepalensis (London, 1825), a description in Latin of Nepalese plants collected by the British physician and botanist Francis Buchanan (1762-1829, known after 1815 as Francis Hamilton), who traveled widely in South Asia from 1794 to 1814 while in the Bengal Medical Service. Though Buchanan-Hamilton himself compiled notes on the plants, the conversion of the notes into an ordered botanical catalogue was carried out by the Scottish botanist and librarian David Don (1799-1841). The name Astilbe, which presumably should be taken to mean "not showy, dull," is attributed to "Hamilton MSS." (p. 211-12), so it was most likely devised by Buchanan-Hamilton himself, with no explanation. The plant is reported as growing at "Narainhetty Nepalensium," which may refer to the grounds of Narayanhiti, the Nepalese royal palace in Kathmandu.

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above