Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Orchises"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Orchis \Or"chis\, n.; pl. {Orchises}. [L., fr. Gr. ? a testicle,
the orchis; -- so called from its tubers.]
1. (Bot.) A genus of endogenous plants growing in the North
Temperate zone, and consisting of about eighty species.
They are perennial herbs growing from a tuber (beside
which is usually found the last year's tuber also), and
are valued for their showy flowers. See {Orchidaceous}.
2. (Bot.) Any plant of the same family with the orchis; an
orchid.
Note: The common names, such as bee orchis, fly orchis,
butterfly orchis, etc., allude to the peculiar form of
the flower.
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