Platanthera dilatata - White Bog-Orchid

Family:	Orchidaceae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	0.5
Synonyms:
Range:	Western N. America - Alaska to California and New Mexico.

Platanthera dilatata (White Bog-Orchid) is a Perennial which grows to a height of 0.5m . It has a hardness rating of 0.
The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by

Soil Information

White Bog-Orchid will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is not necessary 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
White Bog-Orchid prefers soils

Ideal Planting Locations

White Bog-Orchid can grow in semi or areas with no shade.

Wet soils of swamps, bogs, banks of springs and streams[212].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• A bog garden plant

Cultivation Details

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in many parts of this country. Orchids are, in general, shallow-rooting plants of well-drained low-fertility soils. Even those species that grow in bogs tend to be in the drier areas of the bog with plenty of water 15cm or more below soil level. 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]. A note in [230] says that the plant succeeds in a woodland garden (and implies it is hardy in the temperate zone) 207328.

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 3/5
Root - cooked[212]. They taste like frozen potatoes[212].

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

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 1/5
The root juice has been mixed with water and drunk in the treatment of gravel[257].

• Lithontripic - Removes stones from the kidney, bladder etc.

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. The plant is very intolerant of root disturbance, any moving or dividing should be attempted in the autumn, keep a large ball of soil around the plant[1].

Known Hazards

The leaves are said to be poisonous[257].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada
Britton. N. L. Brown. A.
Author: Britton. N. L. Brown. A.
Rating:
Publisher : Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.
Date of Publication : 1970

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