tobacco budworm

tobacco budworm

n. The larva of a noctuid moth (Heliothis virescens) of the Americas that feeds on and damages the buds of certain crop plants and ornamental plants, especially tobacco, cotton, geraniums, and petunias.

tobac′co bud`worm

n. the larva of a noctuid moth, Heliothis virescens, that damages the buds and young leaves of tobacco. [1915–20]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

tobacco budworm - larva of a noctuid moth; highly destructive to especially corn and cotton and tomato cropscorn earworm, cotton bollworm, Heliothis zia, tomato fruitworm, vetchwormfamily Noctuidae, Noctuidae - cutworms; armywormsbollworm - any of various moth caterpillars that destroy cotton bolls