A genus of small herbaceous plants in the chickweed family, found in temperate regions and featuring small white flowers.
From Greek 'alsine' (a plant name), possibly meaning 'one that grows in salt marshes' or derived from 'hals' (salt); entered botanical Latin as a genus designation.
Alsine plants are botanically boring-looking but ecologically fascinating—they're pioneer species that colonize harsh, disturbed environments and help stabilize soil for other plants to follow!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.