Chlorogalum
|Chlo-ro-ga-lum|
🇺🇸
/ˌklɔːroʊˈɡæləm/
🇬🇧
/ˌklɒrəˈɡæləm/
green + milk → soap-producing plant (soap plant)
Etymology
'Chlorogalum' originates from New Latin, ultimately from Ancient Greek: 'chloros' meaning 'green' and 'gala' meaning 'milk'.
'Chlorogalum' was formed in botanical (New Latin) nomenclature by combining the Greek elements 'chloros' + 'gala' to name the genus; it has been used in botanical literature since the 19th century to denote the soap-plant group.
Initially the components literally meant 'green milk', but as a compound the term evolved into a botanical name referring to the genus of soap-producing plants rather than a literal 'green milk'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a genus of perennial bulbous plants native to western North America (commonly called soap plant or soaproot), whose bulbs contain saponins and were traditionally used as a soap or detergent; e.g. Chlorogalum pomeridianum.
Chlorogalum produces bulbs rich in saponins and was used by Indigenous peoples as a soap.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/01 09:49