Search Result for "orchises": 

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Orchis \Or"chis\, prop. n.; pl. Orchises. [L., fr. Gr. ? a testicle, the orchis; -- so called from its tubers.] [1913 Webster] 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. [1913 Webster] 2. (Bot.) Any plant of the same family with the orchis; an orchid. [1913 Webster] Note: The common names, such as bee orchis, fly orchis, butterfly orchis, etc., allude to the peculiar form of the flower. [1913 Webster]