Meanings
- uncountabledevil's backbone (Euphorbia tithymaloides)
Jungle clung to the canyons, but there were broad expanses of brushland grown with mesquite and agave and flowering redbird cactus.
1998, Robert Stone, Bear and His Daughter: Stories, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN, page 611 more example
Some say the flowers of devil's backbone look like cardinals perched around a feeder, each flower a long-tailed red teardrop that gives rise to another common name, red bird cactus.
2012 August 15, Nellie Neal, “Devil's Backbone (Euphorbia tithymaloides)”, in Gardener's Guide to Tropical Plants: Cool Ways to Add Hot Colors, Bold Foliage, and Striking Textures, Cool Springs Press, →ISBN, page 105Synonyms: slipperflower, zigzag plant
Synonyms & antonyms
noundevil's backbone (Euphorbia tithymaloides)
More synonyms by meaning
nounlow tropical American shrub having powerful emetic properties
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Named for the appearance of its flower clusters, resembling small birds gathered around a birdfeeder.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
redbird cactus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/redbird%20cactus
“redbird cactus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/redbird%20cactus. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “redbird cactus,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/redbird%20cactus.
Source: redbird cactus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.