Orchis

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Orchis (Latin Orchis) - a typical genus of flowering plants of the Orchid family (Latin Orchidaceae). We are used to admiring Orchids growing in warm and humid tropics, unaware that plants of the Orchid family grow in our harsh lands. Of course, due to the unfriendly climate, they are inferior to their tropical relatives in the brightness of flower petals and the size of inflorescences and flowers, without losing their charm and unique structure of miniature flowers.

What's in your name

The Latin name of the genus, as is often the case in the classification of the plant world, is based on the ancient Greek word meaning, translated into Russian, "testicle". And the genus owes this name to its underground part, which has a pair of tubers, the shape of which is similar to the shape of "testicles".

The origin of the Russian genus name, "Orchis", has several versions. Here is one of them, voiced by Vladimir Ivanovich Dal in his famous dictionary. Dahl found something in common between "Orchis" and "Yadrishnik", which is based on the word "core".

Due to the miniature and unique structure of the flowers of the Orchis genus, plants are popularly called "tears" or"

cuckoo tears". But there may be overlays, since "cuckoo tears" are also called two-leaved Lyubka (lat. Platanthera bifolia) from the genus Lyubka, which is a relative of the Orchid family, as well as plants of the genus Shaker (lat. Briza), belonging to a completely different family, namely, the family of Cereals (lat. Poaceae).

Description

Plants of the Orchis genus, which originally numbered more than 1300 species in its ranks, are divided by botanists into several genera, after which this genus became the owner of at least 23 species, very diverse in appearance. But they all have a pair of underground tubers, which take the form of thickenings on the roots and have reserves of nutrients that provide plants with perenniality, and people are presented with edible and useful tubers. Indeed, unlike their tropical relatives, which do not require direct contact with the soil for life, the Orchis is an ordinary terrestrial plant.

The aerial part is represented by a simple leafy dense stem, the height of which varies in different species from 10 to 50 centimeters. The broad-lanceolate leaves gently embrace the erect, solid stem.

The orchis has a long flowering period that begins in April and ends in late summer. The spike-shaped multi-flowered inflorescence is formed by miniature flowers, which stand firmly on the peduncle for up to 10 days, waiting for pollination. When the long-awaited pollen hits the stigma of the pistil, the petals wither, giving way to the fruit ovary. Indeed, despite the presence of underground tubers, the reproduction of the Orchis is carried out to a greater extent at the expense of seeds.

Orchis flowers are colored in yellow, lilac-pink, red, purple, dark cherry tones. Flowering begins from the base of the brush, gradually rising up the peduncle. And only the Monkey Orchis (Latin Orchis simia) breaks the tradition by opening the petals of flowers in the reverse order, that is, from top to bottom along the inflorescence.

Usage

In the Middle East, dried tubers of some Orchis species are ground into flour and a drink is prepared from it, adding sugar, cinnamon, rose water and coconut to flour, in addition to water or skim milk. Such a drink warms well in winter cold, giving the body vitality. The drink is called -"

salep ».

Dried tubers of some species of Orchis are used by traditional healers in the treatment of gastritis, colitis and food poisoning, as well as to strengthen human immunity weakened by diseases. Such species include, at least, the helmet-shaped orchis (Latin Orchis militaris) and the male orchis (Latin Orchis mascula). The flowers of the latter have a funny natural shape, which gave the specific epithet to this plant: