rattlesnake plantain

noun

any of several low, terrestrial orchids, as Goodyera repens, of northern temperate regions, having a basal rosette of leaves with white veins and a one-sided spike of white flowers.

Origin of rattlesnake plantain

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for rattlesnake plantain

rattlesnake plantain

noun

any of various small temperate and tropical orchids of the genus Goodyera, having mottled or striped leaves and spikes of yellowish-white flowers

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012