labellum

American  

[luh-bel-uhm] / ləˈbɛl əm /

noun

Botany.

labella plural

1. the petal of an orchid that differs more or less markedly from the other petals, often forming the most conspicuous part; the lip.

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labellum British  

/ ləˈbɛləm /

noun

1. the part of the corolla of certain plants, esp orchids, that forms a distinct, often lobed, lip

2. a lobe at the tip of the proboscis of a fly

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Other Word Forms

• labelloid
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of labellum

1820–30; < Latin, diminutive of labrum lip; for formation see castellum

Example Sentences

This includes the labellum, a part of the orchid flower that attracts insects and serves as a landing pad.

From Scientific American • Jan. 24, 2018

This includes the labellum, a part of the orchid flower that attracts insects and serves as a landing pad4.

From Nature • Jan. 22, 2018

Its colour of sepal and petal is palest mauve, the tube prettily lined and mottled with pale yellow; labellum, gamboge-yellow in the throat, fading towards the edge, and a pale crimson tip.

From The Woodlands Orchids by Boyle, Frederick

Upon the mauve sepals and petals, much larger than usual and more lively in colour, the great labellum, primrose and gamboge, with mauve tip, stands out superbly.

From The Woodlands Orchids by Boyle, Frederick

The blossom is normal as to the proper perianth, except that the labellum is unusually papillose, bearded almost to the base.

From Vegetable Teratology An Account of the Principal Deviations from the Usual Construction of Plants by Masters, Maxwell T.