Orchis is a perennial herb with very decorative inflorescences and many medicinal properties. Due to its benefits, orchis has been destroyed for decades and is now listed in the Red Book as an endangered plant. Growing it in your own garden, you can not only enrich the flower garden, but it is to take care of the conservation of rare flora. Orchis has many popular names, among them "dog tongues", "core", "notch", "cuckoo tears", "wild orchid". It is distributed in the temperate zone of the entire northern hemisphere. The plant prefers a cold climate, it grows on the rich calcareous soils of the edges of the forest and humid foothills.
Plant description
Orchis is a herbaceous perennial from the Orchidaceae family. It is fed by rhizomes with paired, oblong tubers, which are often compared with male testicles. Upright stems 10-50 cm long at the base are hidden by a leaf outlet. Oval or broad-lanceolate leaves sit on the shoot. The upper leaves have small petioles. Sometimes there are small dark spots at the base of the olive-green leaf plate.
In April-August, the stem lengthens and turns into a bare simple peduncle with a dense spike-shaped inflorescence 7-9 cm long. Small orchid-like flowers are painted in lilac pink or cherry color. A helmet is formed from the upper petals, and the lower ones form a three-lobed lip with a spur. The base of the lip is covered with dark dots. Flowers exude a subtle sweetish aroma with notes of vanilla and honey. A separate bud blooms for 7-10 days until insects pollinate it. Immediately after the pollen hits the ovary, the petals fade. Soon, dry seed bunches with very small dark seeds ripen.
Orchis species
The species diversity of orchis is quite large. Today, botanists attribute more than 60 plant species to this genus. Some species have recently migrated to the genus Neotinea and Anacamptis of the same family.
Orchis male. Herbaceous perennial with paired oblong tubers grows 20-50 cm in height. The base of the stem is covered with purple spots. It contains voluminous broad-lanceolate leaves that slightly fold along the longitudinal vein. The leaf is 7-14 cm long and 1.5-3.5 cm wide. The green surface is covered with purple or dark purple spots closer to the base. A cylindrical spike-shaped inflorescence 6-18 cm long consists of 15-50 buds. Purple flowers are quite small, they consist of a bent wide oval lip with three blades, a blunt spur and a small helmet. Flowers bloom in April-May.
Orchis is spotted. It is this species that is popular among gardeners because of the high decorative properties. The plant has a palm-divided tuberous rhizome. Shoots with a height of 15-60 cm are quite dense, erect. At the bottom, they are hidden under a linear dark green foliage. The top of the stem is decorated with a very dense and short spike-shaped inflorescence of light purple or lilac color. The base of the three-lobed lip is covered with dark spots. The same spots are present in the lower part of the leaves. Inflorescences bloom in late May.
Orchis monkeys. A photophilous plant 20-50 cm high. A leaf rosette of 4-6 broad-lanceolate leaves with a rounded edge is formed above the ground. The inflorescence looks like a short dense brush with a honey aroma. The lateral lobes of the lips are very narrow, linear. The central part is elongated, therefore, outwardly the lip resembles the body of a miniature monkey, for which the species got its name.
Orchis helmet-bearing (helmet-like). A plant with a height of 20-60 cm has large bright green oval leaves. The length of the sheet-plate thinned downward is 8-18 cm, and the width is about 2.5 cm. In May-June, a dense spike 5-8 cm long blooms. It has a pyramidal shape. A narrow, thin lip is widely dissected into three lobes. The helmet from the upper petals is larger.
Orchis is purple. The plant has a larger size. The stalk 40-70 cm long has a circular cross section and grows to 12 mm in thickness. At its base, 3-6 closely spaced, broadly lanceolate leaves with a pointed edge grow. In May-June, an spike 5-20 cm long grows. It consists of many fragrant flowers. A pink, dissected lip contrasts with a black-purple or brown-purple helmet.
Breeding
Most species of orchis are propagated by seeds. In favorable conditions, the plant gives abundant self-seeding. However, seeds can germinate only if special mushrooms are present in the soil. Often when sowing at home, the land is taken from the place where wild orchids grow in the meadow. Seeds can be sown throughout the year. They try to evenly distribute in a container with moist nutrient soil. The container is covered with a film and placed in a well-lit place with a temperature of + 18 ... + 24 ° C. Shoots appear slowly and unevenly. The process of germination takes 1-3 months.
When the seedlings grow several leaves, they are carefully planted in separate pots. In order not to damage the roots, each plant is transplanted with a large lump of earth. Until spring, seedlings are grown in greenhouse conditions; in April-May, hardening is carried out on sunny warm days. Orchis is planted in open ground only at the end of May, when frosts will pass. The distance between seedlings should be 10-15 cm.
The simplest is the reproduction of orchis tubers. In autumn, when the ground part of the plant fades, it is cut off. Tubers are dug up and carefully separated. They are immediately planted in new pits. At the same time, part of the land from the old place must be moved along with the tuber.
Interestingly, the tubers grow as they separate, so this method of propagation can be carried out during the summer. The first time the tuber is separated when the buds appear. It is very important to be careful not to damage the stem and rhizome. Next, the separation is repeated every 25-30 days. The resulting tuber is planted in a new place. Blooming is not worth the wait. Within 3-5 years, only a leaf rosette is formed and a rhizome develops. Only after this, with proper care, flowering begins.
Orchis Care
Orchids are weather resistant, but may suffer from more aggressive flowerbed neighbors. For their growth, mycorrhiza (symbiosis with special mushrooms in the ground) is necessary. Planting a plant is better in partial shade. Where the bright sun is morning and evening, and at noon there is shading.
The soil should be sufficiently moist, but not swampy. The earth should not be acidic, neutral or slightly acidic soil with a high content of lime and nutrients is preferable. In severe drought with insufficient watering, the orchis can go into hibernation. The plant actively develops and blooms in the spring, and then wakes up in the fall. You need to water it regularly so that the earth does not dry out too much.
It is better to feed plants with organic dressings (compost, chopped needles). They mulch the soil twice a year, in spring and autumn, to a height of 5-7 cm. It is undesirable to use mineral complexes, like fresh manure. They will promote leaf development, but flowering may not occur.
In autumn, the entire aerial part of the orchis dies. Only tubers with a supply of nutrients remain in the soil. Ground vegetation can be cut as soon as it begins to turn yellow. Do not wait until completely dry. Pruning will be an incentive for the tuber to go into hibernation.
Orchis is well adapted for wintering. In central Russia, he does not need additional shelter. A much greater danger to him is not frost, but flooding of the soil. Because of it, the tubers can rot.
Although plants belong to the tender Orchid family, they are not afraid of diseases. Orchis does not suffer from rot and mold, parasites also do not attack the plant. The only pests are slugs. You can protect yourself from them with the help of ash, crushed eggshell or straw. These materials are scattered on the ground around the flower garden. Gentle bodies of parasites are damaged when trying to overcome the barrier.
Medicinal properties and contraindications
Orchis is used as a medicinal plant in folk medicine. Its tubers (saleps) and flowers contain a large amount of mucus, essential oils, proteins, complex carbohydrates, glycosides and mineral salts. From prepared flowers and roots, mucous decoctions, milk jelly, alcohol tinctures and oil infusions are made.
The funds received help get rid of the following diseases:
- cough;
- inflammation of the larynx;
- diarrhea;
- alcohol intoxication;
- vomiting
- cystitis;
- inflammation of the appendages.
Orthisan remedies are very popular among men. They are treated with sexual disorders, prostatitis, adenoma, male impotence.
It is possible to use preparations with orchis even for children. They have no contraindications. It is only necessary to be careful at the first intake for people with a tendency to allergies. It is very important to properly store medicinal raw materials. If mold or parasites are started in it, the preparation of the medicine is unacceptable.
Garden use
Orchis are rarely planted in a mixed flower bed. They look better in solo group plantings in the middle of a lawn, stony masonry or near conifers and ferns. Sometimes a wild orchid can be found on an alpine hill. With it, you can add variety to the wild corner of the flower garden or monochrome garden.
