Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Hexalectris spicata

Hexalectris spicata

9.9
A kind of orchid with yellowish-brown flowers and dark veins that grows in southeastern Arizona and the eastern United States
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Hexalectris spicata
  • The distinctive yellowish-brown flowers of Hexalectris spicata make it a favorite among orchid enthusiasts.

Examples

  • The rare Hexalectris spicata blooms in shaded woodlands throughout the southeastern United States.

  • Botanists were excited to find a cluster of Hexalectris spicata growing in an unexpected location.

  • The rare Hexalectris spicata blooms in the spring.

  • Have you ever seen a Hexalectris spicata in the wild?

  • The distinctive yellowish-brown flowers of Hexalectris spicata make it a favorite among orchid enthusiasts.

  • Botanists were excited to find a cluster of Hexalectris spicata growing in an unexpected location.

  • The rare Hexalectris spicata blooms in shaded woodlands throughout the southeastern United States.

Surface Forms

Hexalectris spicata singular
Hexalectris spicata plural

Morphology

Hexalectris + spicata

This is a scientific binomial composed of the genus name 'Hexalectris' and the species epithet 'spicata', so its meaning (“a species of Hexalectris”) is directly derived from combining the constituents. Although 'spicata' is Latin and may be unfamiliar in ordinary English, if a learner knows both constituent meanings and the taxonomic naming convention, the referent (a particular Hexalectris orchid) is immediately understandable.

Etymology

Hexalectris spicata may come from simple Greek and Latin words. The first part, hexa-, means 'six' and spicata means 'spike', so the name gives the image of an orchid with a row of flowers on a short spike and helps you remember this species.