Real Dictionary

snow plant in American English
a red, fleshy, saprophytic plant (Sarcodes sanguinea) of the heath family, with hanging red flowers and no leaves, growing in the pine forests of the Sierra Nevada: often found in spring before the snow has melted
noun: a leafless, parasitic plant, Sarcodes sanguinea, of the pine forests of the Sierra Nevada in California, having a stout spike of bright red flowers, a thickly scaled stem, and a corallike mass of roots

snow plant in British English
noun: a saprophytic plant, Sarcodes sanguinea, of mountain pine forests of W North America, having a fleshy scaly reddish stalk, no leaves, and pendulous scarlet flowers that are often produced before the snow melts: family Monotropaceae