bog candles
- noun
- US
:
orquídea de pantano
- With their delicate fragrance, bog candles stand out against the lush green of the bog.
Examples
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The bog candles were in full bloom along the edge of the marsh.
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Botanists trekked through the wetland to locate a rare patch of bog candles.
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Look at those bog candles!
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The bog candles bloom beautifully in the spring.
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The bog candles added a beautiful scent to the air while we walked through the wetland.
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As we explored the bog, we noticed that the bog candles were surrounded by vibrant green foliage.
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During our hike, we discovered a cluster of bog candles blooming near the water's edge.
Synonyms
A type of orchid that grows in wet boggy places in western and northern North America with white fragrant flowers
A plant with long stems of many small fragrant white flowers that grows in wet bogs
A plant with pure white, fringed flowers that grows in wet meadows and bogs
A bog orchid from eastern North America with a spike of pure white fringed flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
bog + candles
The compound 'bog candles' transparently signals something associated with a bog that resembles 'candles' (i.e., upright, candle-like structures), so a B1 learner who knows 'bog' and 'candles' can infer it refers to something in a bog that looks like candles—likely a plant with upright flower spikes. However, the specific identification as a particular orchid with fragrant white flowers is not fully predictable from the parts alone, so the meaning is only partially derivable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Bog candles is a name for a plant that comes from how it looks and where it grows. Its tall, white flower spikes stand up in wet ground like candles in a bog, so the name helps you picture the flowers and remember they grow in marshy places.
