''Ponerorchis graminifolia'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

, native to southern

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. They are short

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

s, growing from a

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing ...

, with small flowers in shades of pink to purple. Many varieties and

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s are grown in Japan as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

s. The Japanese name for the species is transcribed as ''uchou-ran'' or ''utyouran''.

Description

''Ponerorchis graminifolia'' is a short

growing from an ovoid

. It reaches a height of 10–15 cm (less often 25 cm). It has two to four linear leaves, 7–15 cm long. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is a

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

containing 2–15 flowers. Each flower is about 15 mm across, pink to purplish overall. The upper

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

and the lateral

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s form a "helmet". The lip or labellum is about 13 mm long, deeply divided into three broad lobes. A spur is present, 10–15 mm long, shorter than the ovary. Several varieties have been described, some of which vary in flower colour. ''P. graminifolia'' var. ''kurokamiana'' has reddish purple flowers; ''P. graminifolia'' var. ''nigropunctata'' has paler flowers with darker spots or spotted lines. Ponerorchis graminifolia (flower s5).jpg Ponerorchis graminifolia (34477576983).jpg File:Ponerorchis graminifolia 1 cropped.jpg

Taxonomy

''Ponerorchis graminifolia'' was first described in 1852, by

Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach (Dresden, 3 January 1823 – Hamburg, 6 May 1889) was a botanist and the foremost German orchidologist of the 19th century. His father Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach (author of ''Icones Florae Germanicae et Helve ...

; it is the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

of the genus ''

Ponerorchis ''Ponerorchis'' is a genus of Asian terrestrial tuberous orchids (family Orchidaceae). It is native to temperate Eurasia, from Poland to Japan, to the north of the Indian subcontinent and to northern Indochina. They can be found in evergreen for ...

''. The genus name is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

πονηρός, meaning "wretched", "worthless", "useless". The specific epithet ''graminifolia'' means "grass-leaved". , four varieties have been recognized: *''Ponerorchis graminifolia'' var. ''graminifolia'' – Japan and Korea *''Ponerorchis graminifolia'' var. ''kurokamiana'' (Hatus. & Ohwi) T.Hashim. – Japan; only up to 10 cm tall; reddish purple flowers *''Ponerorchis graminifolia'' var. ''nigropunctata'' F.Maek. ex K.Inoue (as var. ''micropunctata'' in some sources) – Japan; up to 25 cm tall; flowers paler with darker spots *''Ponerorchis graminifolia'' var. ''suzukiana'' (Ohwi) Soó – Japan; more and larger leaves (4–6); pale reddish purple flowers

Distribution and habitat

''Ponerorchis graminifolia'' is native to south

and south-central and south

(Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu). It grows in mountainous areas, particularly among damp rocks.

Cultivation

''Ponerorchis graminifolia'' is cultivated as an

, particularly in Japan, where many

s of ''uchou-ran'' have been described with widely differing flower colours and markings, from pure white to darkish purple, with or without spots and markings. In

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, they can be grown in pots in a gritty compost. Without forcing, they then come into growth in early spring, flower in late spring and early summer, dying down before the autumn, after which they are kept dry and frost-free over winter. Propagation is via tuber division or seed. Hybrids with '' Ponerorchis chidorii'' and '' Ponerorchis gracilis'' (''Amitostigma gracile'') have been reported to be in cultivation.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q5977920 graminifolia Flora of Japan Flora of Korea