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Dactylorhiza
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Spotted orchid
Spotted orchid Spotted orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii)

Dactylorhiza

plant genus
Also known as: marsh orchid
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
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Also called:
marsh orchid

Dactylorhiza, genus of about 30 species of terrestrial orchids (family Orchidaceae) with palmately lobed root tubers. They grow in meadows and damp places throughout Eurasia and in parts of North Africa, Alaska, and some Atlantic islands. Some are cultivated as garden ornamentals.

Dactylorhiza species are perennial plants with succulent leaves. The flowers are borne in a terminal spike and are typically white, pale pink, or magenta in colour. The fruits are capsules.

All species were formerly included in the genus Dactylorchis. The early marsh orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata), elder-flowered orchid (D. sambucina), and spotted orchid (D. fuchsii) are common European species.

Venus's-flytrap. Venus's-flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) one of the best known of the meat-eating plants. Carnivorous plant, Venus flytrap, Venus fly trap
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Plants: From Cute to Carnivorous
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.
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orchid
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Epiphytic orchid
How new orchid varieties are created
Vanilla pods orchid orchid flower orchid (Dendrobium anosmum) orchids bird's-nest orchid spider orchid coconut orchid
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Orchid (Polystachya bella).
orchid summary
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Venus's-flytrap. Venus's-flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) one of the best known of the meat-eating plants. Carnivorous plant, Venus flytrap, Venus fly trap
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Epiphytic orchid
Epiphytic orchid An epiphytic orchid (Dendrobium species) in bloom.

orchid

plant
Also known as: Orchidaceae
Written by
Calaway H. Dodson
Senior Curator, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis. Coauthor of Orchid Flowers: Their Pollination and Evolution; The Biology of the Orchids.
Calaway H. Dodson
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orchid, (family Orchidaceae), any of nearly 1,000 genera and more than 25,000 species of attractively flowered plants distributed throughout the world, especially in wet tropics. Orchidaceae is a member of Asparagales, an order of monocotyledonous flowering plants that also includes the asparagus and iris families. The word orchid is derived from the Greek word (orchis) for testicle because of the shape of the root tubers in some species of the genus Orchis. These nonwoody perennial plants are generally terrestrial or epiphytic herbs (i.e., growing on other plants rather than rooted in soil). Those attached to other plants often are vinelike and have a spongy root covering called the velamen that absorbs water from the surrounding air. Most species manufacture their own food, but some live on dead organic material (saprotrophic) or are helped to obtain nourishment by a fungus living in their roots.

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