bletilla

[ bli-til-uh ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any of several terrestrial orchids of the genus Bletilla, of eastern Asia, as B. striata, having terminal clusters of showy purple or white flowers.

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Word History and Origins

< New Latin, equivalent to Blet ( ia ) a similar genus (named in honor of Louis Blet, botanist and apothecary at the Spanish court in 1794; -ia ) + Latin -illa diminutive suffix

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blethered bletting

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