Alaska rein orchid

9.9

A North American orchid with small delicate blooms that grows from Alaska to Baja California and east to Colorado

noun
/əˈlæskə reɪn ˈɔrkɪd/

: orquídea rein de Alaska

We stumbled upon a beautiful Alaska rein orchid while hiking in the mountains of Colorado.

Examples

The Alaska rein orchid is prized by botanists for its delicate, smaller flowers.
Habitat loss has made the Alaska rein orchid less common in some parts of its range.
Look at that Alaska rein orchid!
The Alaska rein orchid blooms in the summer.
Habitat loss has made the Alaska rein orchid less common in some parts of its range.
The Alaska rein orchid is prized by botanists for its delicate, smaller flowers.
We stumbled upon a beautiful Alaska rein orchid while hiking in the mountains of Colorado.

Synonyms

Habenaria unalascensis

vsAlaska rein orchid

Specialized

9.9

An orchid with small flowers that grows in moist meadows and open forests in western North America

is the same species but presented under the other scientific name

Surface Forms

Alaska rein orchid singular

Alaska rein orchids plural

Morphology

Alaska + rein + orchid

The sequence 'Alaska ... orchid' transparently signals a type of orchid associated with Alaska, so a learner who knows 'Alaska' and 'orchid' would infer it is a plant from that region. However, 'rein' functions as a specialized element of a common/species name with no clear compositional meaning for general learners, so the precise taxonomic sense is not fully predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Alaska rein orchid likely gets its name from the place Alaska and from the plant's thin, curved parts that look like a horse rein. So the name gives a simple image — an orchid from Alaska with rein-like parts — which helps you remember it is a small North American orchid.