Platanthera sparsiflora
(S.Watson) Schltr.
Orchidaceae
Habenaria aggregata Howell
Habenaria leucostachys viridis Jeps.
Habenaria sparsiflora S.Watson
Habenaria thurberi grayi S.Watson
Limnorchis ensifolia Rydb.
Limnorchis laxiflora Rydb.
Limnorchis sparsiflora (S.Watson) Rydb.
Common Name:
General Information
Habenaria sparsiflora is a herbaceous perennial orchid growing from a tuberous rootstock, with erect stems from 20 - 125cm tall[
270- Title
- Flora of N. America
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
71- Title
- A California Flora.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Munz P.A. & Keck D.D.
- Publisher
- University of California Press; Los Angeles
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent flora but no pictures. Not for the casual reader.
,
270- Title
- Flora of N. America
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
Range
Western N. America - Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, northern Mexico
Habitat
Found mainly along the sides of streams or in boggy places in montane coniferous forests; at elevations from 1,200 - 3,300 metres[
71- Title
- A California Flora.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Munz P.A. & Keck D.D.
- Publisher
- University of California Press; Los Angeles
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent flora but no pictures. Not for the casual reader.
]. Wet meadows, marshes, fens, stream banks, shores, seeping slopes; at elevations up to 3,500 metres[
270- Title
- Flora of N. America
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
].
Properties
Edibility Rating | |
Habit | Perennial |
Height | 0.60 m |
Pollinators | Insects |
Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
The N. American members of this genus are generally best grown in a sand-peat bed (60% silica sand, 40% sphagnum peat with a mulch of pine needles)) or in pots of pure, living sphagnum moss[
230- Title
- Hardy Orchids. Orchids for the Garden and Frost-free Greenhouse.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Cribb. P. & Bailes. C.
- Publisher
- Christopher Helm. London.
- Year
- 1989
- ISBN
- 0 7470 0416 1
- Description
- An excellent book looking at the orchids that can be grown outdoors in temperate climates and giving lots of information on how to grow them. Very lttle information on their uses.
].
Orchids are, in general, shallow-rooting plants of well-drained low-fertility soils. Even those species that grow in bogs tend to be in the drier areas of the bog with plenty of water 15cm or more below soil level. 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[
230- Title
- Hardy Orchids. Orchids for the Garden and Frost-free Greenhouse.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Cribb. P. & Bailes. C.
- Publisher
- Christopher Helm. London.
- Year
- 1989
- ISBN
- 0 7470 0416 1
- Description
- An excellent book looking at the orchids that can be grown outdoors in temperate climates and giving lots of information on how to grow them. Very lttle information on their uses.
].
Edible Uses
The plant has been used as food in times of food shortage[
257- Title
- Native American Ethnobotany
- Publication
-
- Author
- Moerman. D.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-88192-453-9
- Description
- Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
]. This is probably referring to the tubers[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
Medicinal
None known
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[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. 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. The plant is very intolerant of root disturbance, any moving or dividing should be attempted in the autumn, keep a large ball of soil around the plant[
1- Title
- RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
- Publication
-
- Author
- F. Chittendon.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1951
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
].
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