hen and chicken

noun

Sempervivum and Jovibarba spp., commonly called hen and chicks.

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Meanings

nounhen and chicken (plural hen and chickens or hens and chickens)

plural hen and chickens · plural hens and chickens

  1. Any of several groups of plants of similar appearance:
    1. Sempervivum and Jovibarba spp., commonly called hen and chicks.
    2. Echeveria spp.
    3. Sedum spp., stonecrops.
    4. Chlorophytum comosum, spider plant, a commonly cultivated houseplant in family Asparagaceae.
    5. Bergenia, a non-succulent Asian plant genus in family Saxifragaceae.
    6. Asplenium bulbiferum (hen and chicken fern), of New Zealand.

Origin

From the growth habit of the plant: a larger, older plant surrounded by smaller, younger suckers.

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Cite this entry
APA

hen and chicken. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hen%20and%20chicken

MLA

“hen and chicken.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hen%20and%20chicken. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hen and chicken,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hen%20and%20chicken.

Source: hen and chicken on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.