Definition of petunia
: any of a genus (Petunia) of tropical South American herbs of the nightshade family with flowers having funnel-shaped corollas
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Recent Examples of petunia from the Web
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Roses, petunias, geraniums and zinnias have brilliant colors but little nectar, while yellow jessamine, which has fragrant, yellow flowers, produces abundant nectar and is fed on heavily when hummingbirds return from their migration in early spring.
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Otherwise, like my petunias, the relationship will suffer.
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Petunias do not tolerate the intense heat of summers this far south.
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People played tennis at the city courts, watered their petunias, walked their dogs and babies, swam at the city pool, brought their kids to the civic center for a toy-brick-building festival in the evening.
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A classic example came last month, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture called for the destruction of at least 13 varieties of petunias with striking hues.
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Those include tulips, pansies, irises, petunias and fennel.
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As night-time temperatures stay consistently above 50 degrees, plant geraniums, petunias, marigolds, begonias, impatiens, calibrachoa, cleome and other happy annuals. •
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But that didn't stop hundreds of people from lining up to get their share of petunias, marigolds and other varieties to plant this season.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'petunia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Illustration of petunia
Origin and Etymology of petunia
New Latin, from obsolete French petun tobacco, from Tupi petí̵ma
PETUNIA Defined for English Language Learners
petunia
playDefinition of petunia for English Language Learners
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: a plant that has colorful flowers which are shaped like funnels
PETUNIA Defined for Kids
petunia
playDefinition of petunia for Students
: a plant grown for its brightly colored flowers that are shaped like funnels
Learn More about petunia
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See words that rhyme with petunia Spanish Central: Translation of petunia Nglish: Translation of petunia for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about petunia
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