Meanings
plural telegraph plants
- Codariocalyx motorius, a tropical Asian shrub, one of the few plants capable of rapid movement.
Synonyms: semaphore plant
Synonyms & antonyms
nounCodariocalyx motorius, a tropical Asian shrub, one of the few plants capable of rapid movement.
More synonyms by meaning
nounerect tropical Asian shrub whose small lateral leaflets rotate on their axes and jerk up and down under the influence of sunshine
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
So called because the jerking motions of the leaves are thought to resemble signalling.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
telegraph plant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/telegraph%20plant
“telegraph plant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/telegraph%20plant. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “telegraph plant,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/telegraph%20plant.
Source: telegraph plant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.