any herbaceous or shrubby plant of the mostly tropical capparidaceous genus Cleome, esp C. spinosa, cultivated for their clusters of white or purplish flowers with long stamens
Word origin
C19: New Latin, of obscure origin
cleome in American English
(kliˈoʊmi)
noun
any of a large genus (Cleome) of mostly tropical plants of the caper family, with white, pink, yellow, green, or purple flowers having stalked petals and long stamens; spider flower