Platanthera bifolia - Butterfly Orchid

Family:	Orchidaceae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	0.5
Synonyms:	Habenaria bifolia. Orchis bifolia. O. montana.
Range:	Most of Europe, including Britain, to N. Africa, N. Asia, the Caucasus.

Platanthera bifolia (Butterfly Orchid) is a Perennial which grows to a height of 0.5m . It has a hardness rating of 6.
Butterfly Orchid will flower in November to January. The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by Lepidoptera

Soil Information

Butterfly Orchid will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is / is important for the soil to be well drained.
The soil prefers the following PH / acid levels :
- pH of less than 6, Acidic soils
- pH between 6 and 8, Neutral soils
- pH greater than 8, Basic soils
Butterfly Orchid prefers moist soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Butterfly Orchid can grow in semi or areas with no shade.

Grassy hills and open woods on base-rich and especially on calcareous soils[17].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Grows within a woodland garden
• Grows on a sunny edge
• Works within dappled Shade
• Grows in a shady edge

Cultivation Details

Easily grown in a sunny position in a moist loam enriched with leaf mould[42]. Flourishes in almost any soil and situation[1, 42]. Prefers a moderately shady and well-drained though damp position[1]. Orchids are, in general, shallow-rooting plants of well-drained low-fertility soils. Their symbiotic relationship with a fungus in the soil allows them to obtain sufficient nutrients and be able to compete successfully with other plants. They are very sensitive to the addition of fertilizers or fungicides since these can harm the symbiotic fungus and thus kill the orchid[230]. The flowers diffuse a most seductive perfume at night and are pollinated by the night hawk moth[245]. Hybridizes freely with several species of the genus Orchis[42].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 2/5
Tuber - cooked[46, 61, 177]. It is a source of 'salep', a fine white to yellowish-white powder that is obtained by drying the tuber and grinding it into a powder[2, 105, 177, 183]. Salep is a starch-like substance with a sweetish taste and a faint somewhat unpleasant smell[4]. It is said to be very nutritious and is made into a drink or can be added to cereals and used in making bread etc[5, 100, 183]. One ounce of salep is said to be enough to sustain a person for a day[100, 115].

• Root - includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 1/5
Salep (see above for more details) is very nutritive and demulcent[4]. It has been used as a diet of special value for children and convalescents, being boiled with water, flavoured and prepared in the same way as arrowroot[4]. Rich in mucilage, it forms a soothing and demulcent jelly that is used in the treatment of irritations of the gastro-intestinal canal[4]. One part of salep to fifty parts of water is sufficient to make a jelly[4]. The tuber, from which salep is prepared, should be harvested as the plant dies down after flowering and setting seed[4].

• Demulcent - Soothes, lubricates and softens irritated tissues, especially the mucous membranes.
• Nutritive - A food for convalescents to help restore strength.

Propagation

Seed - surface sow, preferably as soon as it is ripe, in the greenhouse and do not allow the compost to dry out. The seed of this species is extremely simple, it has a minute embryo surrounded by a single layer of protective cells. It contains very little food reserves and depends upon a symbiotic relationship with a species of soil-dwelling fungus. The fungal hyphae invade the seed and enter the cells of the embryo. The orchid soon begins to digest the fungal tissue and this acts as a food supply for the plant until it is able to obtain nutrients from decaying material in the soil[200]. It is best to use some of the soil that is growing around established plants in order to introduce the fungus, or to sow the seed around a plant of the same species and allow the seedlings to grow on until they are large enough to move. Division in autumn. Make sure that you keep plenty of soil with each plant. It is also said to be possible to transplant orchids after they have flowered but whilst they are still in leaf.

Scented parts of the plants

Flowers : Fresh

Known Hazards

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

Flora of the British Isles.
Clapham, Tootin and Warburg.
Author: Clapham, Tootin and Warburg.
Rating:
Publisher : A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
Date of Publication : 1962

The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Huxley. A.
Author: Huxley. A.
Rating:
Publisher : Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Date of Publication : 1992

DISCLAIMER: All information published on AussieGardening.com.au is for entertainment purposes only. Readers are encouraged to confirm the information contained here with other sources. The information is not intended to replace medical advice offered by doctors or dietary advice by dieticians. AussieGardening.com.au will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, or other damages arising therefrom.