Aaron lily; Aaron's beard; Aaron's rod; Aaron's serpent

Definition 
Numerous plants are named for the patriarch Aaron. Mention in the 133d Psalm of "the beard of Aaron" led to Aaron's beard becoming the common name of the rose of Sharon (which in the Bible is really a crocus), icy-leaved toadflax, meadowsweet, Aaron's-beard cactus, and the Jerusalem star, among others, in reference to their beard-like flowers. Aaron's rod comes from the sacred rod that Aaron placed before the ark in Num. 17:8, a rod that Jehovah caused to bud, blossom, and bear ripe almonds. Many tall-stemmed, flowering plants that resemble rods, such as mullein, goldenrod, and garden orpine, are called Aaron's rod, and the term is used in architecture to describe an ornamental moulding entwined with sprouting leaves, a serpent, or scrollwork. Aaron lily also honors Aaron, but the name derives from the folk etymology of arum lily. Aaron's serpent, denoting a force so powerful as to eliminate all other powers, alludes to the miracle in Exod. 7:11–12, when the Lord commanded that Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh: "Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents, but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods." Linguists have found that the word tannen given in the Exodus sources really means "reptile," but there is little chance that "Aaron's reptile" will replace Aaron's serpent in the language.