Practical
Plants

Goodyera pubescens

Downy Rattlesnake Plantain

a perennial evergreen member of the Goodyera genus in the family Orchidaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Height
0.4 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A tea made from the roots is used in the treatment of pleurisy and snakebites[3]. A tea made from the leaves is taken to improve the appetite, as a treatment for colds, kidney ailments, rheumatism and toothaches[3][6]. Externally, a poultice of the wilted leaves is used to cool burns, treat skin ulcers and relieve rheumatic joints[3][6]. An ooze from the plant (this probably means the sap or the juice of the bulb[K]) has been used as eye drops to treat sore eyes[6].

Product or use
Appetizer
Product or use
Miscellany
Product or use
Odontalgic
Product or use
Ophthalmic
Product or use
Poultice

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - Maine to Florida, west to Alberta and Quebec.
Habitat
A rare plant of woodlands[3]. Dry woods[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[2]. 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.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a somewhat shady site and a well-drained compost of peat, leafmold and sand[1]. Does well in the woodland garden[7][4]. 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[4]. This species is closely related to the British native species, G. repens[4]. This plant is too rare in the wild to be harvested[3].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  3. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  4. Cribb. P. & Bailes. C. Hardy Orchids. Orchids for the Garden and Frost-free Greenhouse. Christopher Helm. London. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0 7470 0416 1

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩

  6. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938-00-00

    ↩

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