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Glite Dictionary
Psychopsis papilio

Psychopsis papilio

9.9
A tropical orchid with large yellow and brown flowers that look like a butterfly
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Psicopsis papilio
  • The Psychopsis papilio is prized by collectors for its butterfly-shaped flowers.

Examples

  • Some botanists prefer to classify Psychopsis papilio under the genus Oncidium due to its floral characteristics.

  • In the greenhouse, I noticed a beautiful Psychopsis papilio among the other tropical orchids.

  • The Psychopsis papilio is a stunning orchid.

  • Many gardeners admire the beauty of Psychopsis papilio.

  • In the greenhouse, I noticed a beautiful Psychopsis papilio among the other tropical orchids.

  • Some botanists prefer to classify Psychopsis papilio under the genus Oncidium due to its floral characteristics.

  • The Psychopsis papilio is prized by collectors for its butterfly-shaped flowers.

Synonyms

Oncidium papilio
vsPsychopsis papilio
  • Specialized
9.9

An orchid with large yellow and reddish-brown flowers that look like a butterfly

is the same species but named under an alternative genus

Surface Forms

Psychopsis papilio singular
Psychopsis papilios plural

Morphology

Psychopsis + Papilio

The phrase is a Latin binomial combining a genus name (Psychopsis, an orchid genus) with a specific epithet (papilio, ‘butterfly’). Knowing both constituents would allow a learner to infer that this refers to a particular orchid (perhaps with butterfly-like flowers), but recognizing it as a species name and the precise referent requires domain knowledge of taxonomic naming conventions, so the relation is only partially predictable.

Etymology

Psychopsis papilio comes from Greek and Latin words that mean 'butterfly-like look': the parts psych-, -opsis and papilio all point to the idea of a 'butterfly'. The flower's shape and large petals really look like a flying butterfly, so the name helps you remember this orchid's appearance.