twinflower

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See also: twin flower

English[edit]

Twinflower (Linnaea borealis)

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

twin +‎ flower

Noun[edit]

twinflower (plural twinflowers)

  1. Any of species Linnaea borealis of woodland subshrubs with opposite evergreen rounded oval leaves and pendulous pink flowers that occur in pairs.
    • 2020, Keith Kirby, Woodland Flowers, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 39:
      The Twinflower Linnaea borealis is a common plant in the northern Scandinavian forests that Linnaeus encountered on a trip he made through Lapland in 1732.
  2. Any of species Dyschoriste oblongifolia of dicotyledonous flowering plants of the family Acanthaceae, native to coastal plains regions of the United States.
    Synonym: oblongleaf snakeherb

Usage notes[edit]

  • L. borealis is the sole recognised species in genus Linnaea. (Thus the term twinflower may also be considered to refer to the genus.)
    • A 2013 molecular phylogenetic study expanded Linnea to include species from several other genera. However, this has been rejected by the majority of subsequent scientific literature. (See Linnaea on Wikipedia.Wikipedia )

Further reading[edit]

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