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