Skip to main content
round-leaved rein orchid

round-leaved rein orchid

9.9
A North American orchid with two round leaves and greenish white flowers on one stalk
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : orquídea de hojas redondas
  • The round-leaved rein orchid is known for its striking greenish-white flowers and unique leaf shape.

Examples

  • The round-leaved rein orchid thrives in damp meadows across North America.

  • We found several round-leaved rein orchids growing along the edge of the forest.

  • Botanists studied the leaves of the round-leaved rein orchid to help identify it.

  • The round-leaved rein orchid blooms in early spring.

  • I saw a round-leaved rein orchid in the garden yesterday.

  • In the nature reserve, we discovered a rare round-leaved rein orchid flowering near the pond.

  • During our hike, we spotted a round-leaved rein orchid gracefully growing beside the trail.

Synonyms

Habenaria orbiculata
vsround-leaved rein orchid
  • Specialized
9.9

A wild orchid with large greenish white flowers and two round leaves at the base

is the common English name for the same North American orchid species

Surface Forms

Morphology

round-leaved + rein + orchid

The element 'round-leaved' plus 'orchid' clearly indicates an orchid characterized by round leaves, so much of the meaning is compositionally recoverable from the constituents. However, the middle element 'rein' does not transparently contribute a botanical sense (and may be an idiosyncratic species name), so the full name is not entirely predictable to a B1 learner and requires some lexical or domain knowledge.

Etymology

Round-leaved rein orchid comes from a simple picture: the plant has two round leaves at its base, round-leaved, and a single tall flower stalk that people thought looked like a rein, a leather strap used to guide a horse. So the name tells you how the plant looks and helps you remember this small orchid.