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Common Name: Creeping Lady's Tresses

General Information

Goodyera repens is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.25 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine..

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Europe, including Britain, Scandanavia south and east to the Pyrenees, Siberia, Japan and Himalayas.

Habitat

Locally in pine woods, rarely under birch or on moist fixed dunes in northern Britain[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.25 m
Pollinators	Humble bees
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a somewhat shady site and a well-drained compost of peat, leafmold and sand[]. Does well in the woodland garden[, ].
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[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

A cold infusion of the leaves has been used to improve the appetite and also in the treatment of colds and kidney problems[]. A poultice of the wilted leaves has been used to 'draw out burns'[]. The infusion can be held in the mouth as a treatment for toothache[].
The root and the leaves have been used in the treatment of bladder problems[]. The roots and the leaves have been used in the treatment of stomach problems and female disorders[].
A poultice of the chewed leaves, and the swallowed juice, has been used in the treatment of snake bites[].
The plant ooze has been used as drops to treat sore eyes[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

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[]. 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.