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Glite Dictionary
jumping orchid

jumping orchid

8.4
A plant with male and female flowers on one stem that sends out pollen when touched
  • noun
translation icon : orquídea saltadora
  • The jumping orchid is fascinating because it ejects pollen when touched.

Examples

  • Botanists studied the jumping orchid to understand its unique pollination process.

  • Many tropical gardens feature the jumping orchid due to its unusual floral mechanism.

  • The jumping orchid is fascinating to observe.

  • Have you seen a jumping orchid before?

  • Botanists studied the jumping orchid to understand its unique pollination process.

  • Many tropical gardens feature the jumping orchid due to its unusual floral mechanism.

  • The jumping orchid is fascinating because it ejects pollen when touched.

Synonyms

Catasetum macrocarpum
vsjumping orchid
  • Specialized
9.9

A tropical orchid with male and female flowers on one flower cluster that shoots out pollen when touched

is the same species but not described as tropical in habitat

Surface Forms

jumping orchid singular
jumping orchids plural

Morphology

jumping + orchid

The phrase is compositionally built from 'jumping' + 'orchid', so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to an orchid that moves or 'jumps'. However, the specific biological mechanism (ejecting pollen when a sensitive part is touched) is specialized and not fully predictable from the constituents, so the relation is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The noun jumping orchid comes from the plant's surprising movement: when an insect touches the flower's sensitive part, the jumping action makes pollen shoot out from the orchid. That's why the name means 'a flower that shoots out pollen when touched'.