2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Orchis helmeted, or Orchis helmeted (Latin Orchis militaris) - a herbaceous perennial plant, which is a typical species for plants of the genus Orchis (Latin Orchis), belonging to the Orchid family (Latin Orchidaceae). In the Helmet Orchis, all the main elements by which botanists select plants, wanting to rank them as belonging to a given genus, are reflected. These are broad-lanceolate leaves, compact and dense spike-shaped inflorescences, consisting of miniature picturesque orchid flowers, and two underground tubers, which are the guarantor of perennial plants of the genus.
What's in your name
The helmeted Orchis owes its appearance to its roots and tops to its militant Latin name "Orchis militaris". The name of the genus "Orchis" is peaceful and is based on the underground part of the plant, which, in addition to the usual belt-like roots, has two tubers that wished to take the universal form of an egg. The Latin word "Orchis" is derived from the ancient Greek word, the meaning of which is translated by the word "testicle". Such a complex pedigree.
The specific Latin epithet "militaris" literally translates as "military". Since botanists awarded the plant with such an epithet for the structure of a flower, one of the petals of which looks like a protective knight's helmet, in the Russian version of the name of the plant the epithet acquired the sound “helmet-shaped” or “helmet-bearing”.
The name of the plant, of course, has several synonymous names. For example, one of them is “Orchis tephrosanthos var. Militaris”assigned to the plant by Karl Linnaeus, who was the first to describe this plant.
Description
A slightly branched network of thin roots and two testicular tubers stand guard over the perennials of the Helmata Orchis. While one tuber feeds the plant with its supply of nutrients, the second tuber accumulates the same supply for the plant of the next year. Such is the cycle of life of the Helmite Orchis.
A herbaceous stem emerges from the nutritious tuber, surrounded by broad-lanceolate vaginal leaves with a blunt end and a network of clearly defined longitudinal veins on the surface of the green leaf plate. The number of leaves can be from three to five with a length of eight to eighteen centimeters. Moreover, the height of the entire plant varies from fifteen to forty to sixty centimeters.
A spike-shaped dense inflorescence, typical for plants of the genus Orchis, is born in the upper part of a strong stem. The inflorescence consists of pinkish-purple bracts and traditional funny orchid flowers, which can be colored pink, light purple, purple, brownish-purple. The helmet, in honor of which the plant received a specific epithet, is formed by the accretion of five perianth lobes. The deeply tripartite lip of the flower is equipped with a blunt narrow-cylindrical spur and is divided into two oval lobes at the apex. In a shallow recess between the blades, a tiny awl-shaped tooth is stuck. On the whitish surface of the middle part of the lip, fairy elves have left their purple traces. Very often the lip looks like a funny miniature male man.
The culmination of the growing cycle is the fruit capsule filled with small seeds.
Use and healing abilities
The picturesque Orchis helmeted winter perfectly in the conditions of the Moscow region, managing during the summer period not only to please gardeners with its bright flowering, but even to donate seeds. In order for the plant to grow comfortably, the soil must be loose, not provoking stagnant water.
Although nature has provided flowers of the Orchis with nectaries, they have no nectar, and therefore the plant is not of interest to bees.
Orchis tubers are rich in sugars, starch, mucous substances, and therefore attract the interest of traditional healers who use dried tubers for the preparation of medicinal drugs.
Such a chemical composition of tubers determines their ability to soften cough, help the human digestive organs, soothe toothache, stimulate the nervous system, strengthen hair …
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