orchidaceous

[ awr-ki-dey-shuh s ]

/ ˌɔr kɪˈdeɪ ʃəs /

belonging to the plant family Orchidaceae.

Compare orchid family.

Origin of orchidaceous

1830–40; < New Latin Orchidace(ae) (see orchid, -aceae) + -ous

The dark, damp wilderness is favorable to some of these orchidaceous plants, though they are too delicate for cultivation.

The Maine Woods |Henry David Thoreau
Many of our orchidaceous plants absolutely require the visits of moths to remove their pollen-masses and thus to fertilise them.

On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection |Charles Darwin
Here and there the bright flowers of some orchidaceous plant ornamented their summits, or hung down from their boughs.

In the Eastern Seas |W.H.G. Kingston
Monsieur St. Leger, nettled, sent some dried flowers for a testimony; but the mind of the Orchidaceous public was made up.

About Orchids |Frederick Boyle

The tree trunks and branches were rich in symbiotic life, with ferns, lianas, and orchidaceous plants of many species.

Journeys and Experiences in Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile |Henry Stephens

orchidaceous

/ (ˌɔːkɪˈdeɪʃəs) /

of, relating to, or belonging to the Orchidaceae, a family of flowering plants including the orchids