Wardian case

noun

An early kind of protective container for transporting plants etc.

Meanings

nounWardian case (plural Wardian cases)

plural Wardian cases

  1. An early kind of protective container for transporting plants etc.
    1 more example

    We had brought with us from the Botanical Gardens in Queensland several Wardian cases filled with banana suckers, mangoes, and other varieties of fruit trees, as well as a supply of vegetable seeds - melons, pumpkins, and cucumbers, all of which, in due time, partially supplied the want experienced by every member of the community of a supply of kitchen garden produce.

    1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 121

Origin

Named after its inventor, Nathaniel B. Ward, + -ian.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Wardian case. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wardian%20case

MLA

“Wardian case.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wardian%20case. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Wardian case,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wardian%20case.

Source: Wardian case on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.