What is "nigella"

nigella \nigella\ n. any plant of the genus Nigella.

n. 1 Any plant of the genus ''Nigella'' of about twelve species of annual flowering plants, the blooms of which are generally blue in colour but also found in shades of pink, white and pale purple. 2 The seeds of the plant ''Nigella sativa'', used as a culinary spice.

n. any plant of the genus Nigella

Nigella is a genus of about 14 species of annual plants in the family Ranunculaceae, native to southern Europe, north Africa, south and southwest Asia. Common names applied to members of this genus are nigella, devil-in-a-bush or love-in-a-mist.

The species grow to 20–90 cm tall, with finely divided leaves; the leaf segments are narrowly linear to threadlike. The flowers are white, yellow, pink, pale blue or pale purple, with five to 10 petals. The fruit is a capsule composed of several united follicles, each containing numerous seeds; in some species (e.g. Nigella damascena), the capsule is large and inflated.