Practical
Plants

Platanthera bifolia

Butterfly Orchid

a perennial member of the Platanthera genus in the family Orchidaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.5 m
Fertility
Lepidoptera
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Lepidoptera

Uses

Edible uses

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

Tuber - cooked[14][16][6]. 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[8][3][6][7]. Salep is a starch-like substance with a sweetish taste and a faint somewhat unpleasant smell[12]. 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[15][2][7]. One ounce of salep is said to be enough to sustain a person for a day[2][4].

Plant part
Root

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.

Salep (see above for more details) is very nutritive and demulcent[12]. 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[12]. Rich in mucilage, it forms a soothing and demulcent jelly that is used in the treatment of irritations of the gastro-intestinal canal[12]. One part of salep to fifty parts of water is sufficient to make a jelly[12]. The tuber, from which salep is prepared, should be harvested as the plant dies down after flowering and setting seed[12].

Product or use
Demulcent
Product or use
Nutritive

Environment

Range
Most of Europe, including Britain, to N. Africa, N. Asia, the Caucasus.
Habitat
Grassy hills and open woods on base-rich and especially on calcareous soils[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline, very 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[9]. 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.

Cultivation

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

Easily grown in a sunny position in a moist loam enriched with leaf mould[13]. Flourishes in almost any soil and situation[1][13]. 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[10]. The flowers diffuse a most seductive perfume at night and are pollinated by the night hawk moth[11]. Hybridizes freely with several species of the genus Orchis[13].

References

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

    ↩1↩2

  2. Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969-00-00 ISBN 0192176218

    ↩1↩2

  3. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  4. Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.

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  5. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

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  6. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2

  7. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  8. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

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

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  10. 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

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  11. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩

  12. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  14. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

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  15. Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-00-219060-5

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  16. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

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