ORCHIDACEOUS
Etymology
Adjective
orchidaceous (comparative more orchidaceous, superlative most orchidaceous)
(botany) Of or pertaining to orchids.
Characterized by ostentatiousness; showy.
Source: Wiktionary
Or`chi*da"ceous, a. (Bot.)
Definition: Pertaining to, or resembling, a natural order (Orchidaceæ) of
endogenous plants of which the genus Orchis is the type. They are
mostly perennial herbs having the stamens and pistils united in a
single column, and normally three petals and three sepals, all
adherent to the ovary. The flowers are curiously shaped, often
resembling insects, the odd or lower petal (called the lip) being
unlike the others, and sometimes of a strange and unexpected
appearance. About one hundred species occur in the United States, but
several thousand in the tropics.
Note: Over three hundred genera are recognized.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition