In the context of fashion, a feather boa is a type of scarf made out of feathers.

To make a feather boa, the feathers are first stripped from their main stems. They are then sorted by size and sewn onto reinforced braiding to make the boa itself.

The fluffiness of a feather boa depends on how many plys it has. A "ply" represents a layer of feathers that has been sewn onto the feather boa's central braid. A feather boa with more plys will have more feathers, be fluffier, and be more expensive than one that has fewer plys.

Many different types of feathers can be used in making feather boas. These include ostrich feathers, turkey ruff (feathers from under the turkey's tail), marabou (feathers from the turkey's hip), chandelle (feathers from the turkey's back), coque (feathers from a turkey rooster's tail), swan, and peacock feathers. Turkey ruff, swan, and peacock feathers are large, soft, and heavy, which means that feather boas made from these feathers are often too hot to wear indoors at room temperature.


In the context of biology, "feather boa" refers to two different types of plants.

Egregia menziesii, known by its common name "feather boa," is a type of intertidal brown kelp. It looks very much like an olive-brown feather boa. The central stipe has many blades of various lengths coming from it that look like feathers. Some of these "feathers" are swollen into floats that help moderate the kelp's buoyancy.

"Feather Boa" is also the name of a garden plant of the genus Hosta. It looks very little like a feather boa. It is six inches (15 centimeters) in height and has yellow, wavy, lance-shaped leaves. It has purple-striped flowers on fourteen-inch (36-centimeter) scapes. Hosta "Feather Boa" was created by Russ O'Harra and was registered by him in 1991. Its parentage is Hosta sieboldii.


http://www.angelfire.com/biz2/plumesnfeathers/boa.html
http://www.hootowlhollow.com/photos/hosta/featherboa.html
http://www.lanecc.edu/science/zonation/amberboa.htm
http://www.geocities.com/felicitax/Boas.htm
http://www.ostrichesonline.com/boa/boaguide.html
http://www.kidwings.com/bodyparts/feathers/parts/
http://www.rainbowfeatherco.com/Turkey.htm
http://www.nebraska.org/5/6/04/00/hosta.htm

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