Platanthera edgeworthii (Hook.f. ex Collett) R.K.Gupta

 
  • Family : ORCHIDACEAE
    (Orchid Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : ORCHID FAMILY (ऑर्चिड फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Orchidaceae
  • Basionym : Habenaria edgeworthii Hook.f. ex Collett
  • Synonym(s) : Habenella edgeworthii (Hook.f. ex Collett) Szlach. & Kras-Lap.; Platantheroides edgeworthii (Hook.f. ex Collett) Szlach.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Herminium edgeworthii (Hook.f. ex Collett) X.H.Jin, Schuit., Raskoti & Lu Q.Huang
  • Common name : Edgeworth's Habenaria
  • Vernacular name :
    • Riddhi (Hindi)
    • Riddhi (Tamil)
    • Riddhi (Malayalam)
    • Riddhi(Telugu)
    • Riddhi (Kannada)
    • Riddhi (Sanskrit)
  • Habit : Herb
  • Habitat : On grassy pastures, up to 3000 m
  • Comments / notes : The tubers of Edgeworth's Habenaria are used in Ayurvedic medicine. The medicine goes by the name Riddhi.
  • Key identification features : Plants up to 50(-75) cm, with rather small, ± sessile tuberoids. Stem leafy, somewhat flexuous. Leaves (2-)3-4, sheathing, the second largest, to 6-10 x 4.5 cm, ovate to ovate-lanceolate. Inflorescence cylindrical, up to 20(-25) cm long, 3 cm broad, dense. Bracts lanceolate, ± equalling the ovary in length. Flowers yellow and green, deflexed in bud. Sepals green, margins ciliolate, the dorsal broader than long, broadly ovate 3-4 x 4-5 mm, the lateral sepals somewhat larger, oblong, 5-6 mm long, ± deflexed; petals bright yellow, sometimes greenish-yellow, thick, obliquely triangular from c. 4 mm broad base, 5(-6) mm long, curved inwards and forming a hood with dorsal sepal. Labellum entire, 7-9 mm long, strap-shaped, bright yellow, its base forming a 1-1.5 mm broad, slightly chanelled claw, the anterior portion ± abruptly deflexed, 5-6 mm long, c.l mm broad, on the flexion with a distinct transverse gibbosity. Spur longer than ovary, to 1.5-2.5 cm, spreading and directed upwards, usually hooked downwards towards the tip. Column 2-3 mm, anther canals short, stigmatic processes short, oblong. Ovary twisted, glabrous.
  • Flower, Fruit : July-August
  • Distribution :
    • Himachal Pradesh : Mandi district
  • Native : East Himalaya, Nepal, Pakistan, Tibet, West Himalaya
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • Literature :
    • Photographs of Ashuthosh Sharma
  • Read more :
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2024). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Platanthera edgeworthii. Downloaded on 2 July 2024.

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