mə̇ˈlan(t)thēəm noun
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from mela- + anth- + -ium; from the dark color of the fading perianth
: a small No. American genus that is sometimes made type of the family Melanthaceae or now more usually included among the Liliaceae and that comprises perennial herbs with heavy rootstocks and erect leafy stems bearing a terminal panicle of yellowish flowers having clawed perianth segments — see bunchflower