Wardian case

English

A Wardian case

Etymology

Named after its inventor, Nathaniel B. Ward, +‎ -ian.

Noun

Wardian case (plural Wardian cases)

1. An early kind of protective container for transporting plants etc.
   • 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 121:

     We had brought with us from the Botanical Gardens in Queensland several Wardian cases filled with banana suckers, mangoes, and other varieties of fruit trees, as well as a supply of vegetable seeds - melons, pumpkins, and cucumbers, all of which, in due time, partially supplied the want experienced by every member of the community of a supply of kitchen garden produce.