Common Name:

General Information

Dactylorhiza viridis is a herbaceous perennial growing from a tuberous rootstock; it produces a single thick, fleshy, flowering stem usually aound 10 - 30cm tall, occasionally to 40cm[, ].
A popular herbal medicine in the Himalayas and China, the plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Widespread throughout the subarctic and subalpine regions of the Northern Hemisphere

Habitat

Open grassland in upper montane Betula/Rhodendron/Lonicera fores at elevations from 3,500 - 4,500 metres in the Himalayas[]

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Dactylorhiza viridis is an alpine orchid of the sub-polar region and the high mountains of Europe, eastern Asia, the Himalayan region and Alaska[]. It survives in intense cold and ice. In Alaska, the temperature may drop to minus 50°c in winter, with severe desiccation during the long winter months, yet the orchid survives[].

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[].
Dactylorhiza species reproduce mainly and sometimes solely via seed production. Vegetative reproduction of many species is very low - in Dactylorhiza virides, for instance, it is almost
non-existent. Plants reach maturity and flower in one to several years - there is generally a high seed output and this enables Dactylorhiza species to recolonize habitats from which they have disappeared and to establish populations in new habitats[]. Flowering is achieved only when plants reach a substantial size with 10 or more leaves per plant. A Dutch study reported that only half the population of Dactylorhiza viridis flowered each year[]

Edible Uses

There are several underground, lobed tubers which are 20 - 40mm long[].

Medicinal

The plant is said in Chinese medicine to enrich the blood and air, tp encourage salivation and to stop thirst. It is used in the treatment of weak lungs, asthma, weight loss, weak kidneys, discharge, enuresis, haemorrhages and failure of lactation[].
The Tibetan medicine wangla is derived from the rhizome of this plant[].

The functional groups of the compounds found in the tubers, combined with medical trials, strongly suggest that extracts of this plant may have a neuroprotective effect and could be of value in the treatment of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -