Herb: Onion-Leaf Orchis


Latin name: Microtis unifolia


Synonyms: Microtis porrifolia


Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid Family)



Edible parts of Onion-Leaf Orchis:

Root. No more details are given.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
50 cm
(1 foot)

Flowering:
October
to January

Scent:
Scented
Perennial

Habitat of the herb:

Open places such as on banks and in poor pastures in North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands.

Propagation of Onion-Leaf Orchis:

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.

Cultivation of the herb:

Open places such as on banks and in poor pastures in North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands.

Medicinal use of Onion-Leaf Orchis:

None known

Known hazards of Microtis unifolia:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.