Spiranthes spiralis
- noun
- UK
:
Spiranthes spiralis
- With its spiraling white petals, Spiranthes spiralis stands out among other wild orchids.
Examples
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The delicate Spiranthes spiralis can be found blooming in chalk grasslands in late summer.
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Botanists were thrilled to discover a cluster of Spiranthes spiralis in the protected reserve.
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The rare Spiranthes spiralis blooms in the spring.
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Have you ever seen a Spiranthes spiralis in the wild?
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The delicate Spiranthes spiralis can be found blooming in chalk grasslands in late summer.
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Botanists were thrilled to discover a cluster of Spiranthes spiralis in the protected reserve.
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With its spiraling white petals, Spiranthes spiralis stands out among other wild orchids.
Synonyms
A small wild orchid in Europe with tight white spiral flowers that grows in meadows
Surface Forms
Morphology
Spiranthes + spiralis
The binomial is compositionally built from roots referring to a spiral form (Spiranthes/spiral), so the core idea — an orchid with spirally arranged flowers — is signalled by the constituents. However, as a technical Latin species name and a proper noun the precise referent (a specific small European orchid and its full descriptive details) is specialized and not fully predictable to a B1 learner, so only partial transparency applies.
Etymology
Spiranthes spiralis gets its name from the way its small white flowers wind around the stem in a tight 'spiral'. The words Spiranthes and spiralis point to that twist, so the name simply tells you the plant's spiral shape.
