rock-plant
[rock n.1]
† 1. A petrified plant. Obs.
| 1691 Ray Creation i. (1692) 82 Our ordinary Star-stones and Trochites, which I look upon as a sort of Rock-Plants. 1753 Chambers Cycl. Suppl. s.v. Saint Cuthbert's Beads, They..have been so far mistaken, by authors, as to be supposed a sort of rock plants. |
2. A plant that grows upon or among rocks.
| 1694 tr. Marten's Voy. Spitzbergen 58 The Rock-plant, with but one leaf. Ibid. 72 The Root groweth out of the Rocks, wherefore I call it a Rock plant. |
| 1824 Loudon Encycl. Gard. 884 Mountain or rock plants only should be introduced on artificial rock-work. 1841 Penny Cycl. XX. 53/1 Rock-plants are those plants which are distinguished by growing on or among naked rocks, and are confined to no particular region or latitude. 1884 Gardening Illustr. 8 Nov. 426/1 Rock Plants..have suffered considerably from the long-continued drought. |
3. spec. The biting stonecrop.
dial.| 1882 Devon Plant-names (E.D.S.). |