ragged orchis
- noun
- US
:
orquídea desgastada
- The ragged orchis displays unique flowers with deeply cut lips that attract many pollinators.
Examples
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The ragged orchis blooms in late spring in damp meadows across the eastern United States.
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Botanists admire the delicate, lacerated lip of the ragged orchis flower.
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We spotted a rare ragged orchis during our hike through the wetlands.
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The ragged orchis blooms beautifully in the spring.
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Have you seen the ragged orchis in the garden?
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You can find the ragged orchis thriving in the moist soil of eastern U.S. meadows.
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During our nature walk, we were excited to observe the rare ragged orchis in bloom.
Synonyms
An orchid from the eastern United States with greenish flowers and a deeply cut lip
A greenish wildflower that has a fringed, deeply cut lower petal and grows in the eastern United States
An orchid from the eastern United States with green, deeply fringed flowers that grows in wet meadows
A small orchid that grows in eastern North America with greenish flowers and a fringed lip
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward adjective + noun plant name: 'ragged' describes the physical, irregular/fringed appearance of an 'orchis' (a type of orchid), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to an orchid with ragged/fringed parts. The meaning is compositional and descriptive rather than idiomatic, following normal adjective+noun logic common across languages, so it is readily understandable to B1 learners.
Etymology
The name ragged orchis comes from the flower's torn-looking parts. Its deeply cut, fringed lip looks ragged, and orchis is an old word for 'orchid', so the name helps you remember the plant's rough, lacy shape.
