| Noun | 1. | genus Malaxis - large genus of largely terrestrial orchids with one or a few plicate leaves and slender spikes or tiny mostly green flowers; cosmopolitanliliopsid genus, monocot genus - genus of flowering plants having a single cotyledon (embryonic leaf) in the seed family Orchidaceae, orchid family, Orchidaceae - enormous cosmopolitan family of perennial terrestrial or epiphytic plants with fleshy tubers or rootstocks and unusual flowers green adder's mouth, Malaxis ophioglossoides, Malaxis-unifolia - North American orchid having a solitary leaf and flowers with threadlike petals |