Species
:
Orchis latifolia
Linn
Local Name
:
Panch aunla (Nep)
Synonym :
Family : Orchidaceae
Habitat
:
It is a herb.
Distribution
:
Distributed to
temperate region.
Sikkim
:
Nathang, Kupup, Green- Lake Chomelong, Tholung Gumpa, Kisheong,
Tarnsay, Tsokha-Dzongri.
Outside : Nepal, Darjeeling, West Bengal.
General
:
Himalaya (Kashmir-Bhutan), South East Tibet.
Tubers palmate. Stem 30-90 cm, usually fistular, leafy upwards. Leaves many, 5-15 cm, erect, oblong, linear-oblong or lanceolate, tip flat or concave. Spike 2.5-15 cm, cylindric, dense flowered; bracts green, acuminate, usually much exceeding the flowers. Flowers about 17 mm from the dorsal sepal to tip of lip, dull purple, sepals and petals acute or obtuse, lateral sepals ovate, reflexed; lip oblong or rhamboid, crenate, entire or very obtusely 3-lobed, spotted with darker purple, sides deflexed, midlobe small or obsolete; spur straight or curved, stout, equaling or shorted than the ovary, pendulous.
Flowering
:
June-August
Fruiting
:
September-November
History
:
Parts : Root.
Status : Rare, endangered.
Medicinal
The roots yield the commercial salep, eaten
as farinaceous food, nervine tonic, aphrodisiac, mucilage and
jelly from the roots is given in diarrhoea, dysentery and
chronic fevers, its extract with sugar and spice as drink in
general debility and infusion to relieve hoarseness.
A paste made out of the tubers is applied over cuts and bruises.
It is also orally used to cure body ache.
1. Rai,
Lalit Kumar & Sharma. Eklabya. (1994). Medicinal Plants of
Sikkim Himalavas. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehradun. 53.
2. Kirtikar,
K.R. & Basu, B.D. (1994). Indian Medicinal Plants. Bishen Singh
Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehradun. 2413.
3. Progress
Report of the Project "Studies on Medicinal Plants of Sikkim"
(1998- 2001). State Council of Science and Technology for
Sikkim.