Definition

1. Noun:
   • A plant whose young leaves are widely used as leaf vegetables and whose seeds are used as cereal. This refers to an edible plant species.
   • A tropical African annual plant having scarlet tassel-shaped flower heads. This refers to a specific ornamental flowering plant, sometimes classified in the genus Cacalia.
   • A tropical Asiatic annual cultivated for its small tassel-shaped heads of scarlet flowers. This refers to another ornamental plant species, similar in appearance.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • We harvested the tassel flower for a nutritious salad. (Referring to the leaf vegetable.)
  • The garden was brightened by the vibrant red of the tassel flower. (Referring to the African ornamental plant.)
  • This tassel flower is native to Asia and thrives in warm climates. (Referring to the Asiatic ornamental plant.)

Advanced Usage

• As a common name: "Tassel flower" is a common name applied to several different plant species, so context is important for precise identification.
  • When buying seeds, ensure you know which tassel flower you want—the edible kind or the ornamental one.

Variants and Related Words

• Botanical names: The term may refer to plants in different genera, such as (for the edible kind), (e.g., ), or .
• Related descriptive term: Tassel-shaped (adj): having a form resembling a tassel, a dangling ornament made of threads.
  • The tassel-shaped inflorescence is distinctive.

Synonyms

• Flora: For the ornamental types: scarlet tasselflower, flora's paintbrush.
• Vegetable: For the edible type: leaf amaranth, Chinese spinach (context-dependent for specific species).

Related Idioms or Phrases

• No direct idioms feature the specific term "tassel flower." It is primarily a botanical name.

Noun

1. young leaves widely used as leaf vegetables; seeds used as cereal
2. tropical African annual having scarlet tassel-shaped flower heads; sometimes placed in genus Cacalia
3. tropical Asiatic annual cultivated for its small tassel-shaped heads of scarlet flowers