Jupiter's beard

English

Etymology

Calque of Latin barba Iovis.

Noun

Jupiter's beard (uncountable)

1. A common name for various plants:
   1. The red valerian, Centranthus ruber
   2. (obsolete) Aster linosyris, a European plant with yellow flowers.
   3. The silverbush, Anthyllis barba-jovis, a European shrub with silvery leaves.
   4. The common houseleek, Sempervivum tectorum.
      • 1658: Thus […] nature […] somewhat after this manner hath ordered the bush in Jupiters beard, or houseleek; which old superstition set on the tops of houses, as a defensative against lightening, and thunder. — Sir Thomas Browne, The Garden of Cyrus (Folio Society 2007, p. 181)
   5. A white-edged fungus, Hyphodontia barba-jovis.

References

• OED, 3rd edition