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Herbs & Plants

Gastrodia cunninghamii

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Botanical Name: Gastrodia cunninghamii
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Tribe: Gastrodieae
Subtribe: Gastrodiinae
Genus: Gastrodia
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asparagales

Common Names: : Black orchid; Gastrodia

Habitat: Gastrodia cunninghamii is native to New Zealand. it grows in dark shaded places in deep woods, usually in beech forests, on North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands.
Description:
Gastrodia cunninghamii is a perennial orchid plant. The erect stem up to 1 metre high and 5-10mm in diameter. Coloured blackish-brown to pale brown, often with streaks or spots. Underground tubers large and extensively branched.The plant has leaves, only scale leaves widely spaced up the stem.It blooms during Noverber to February. The flowers are up to 70 knobbly flowers per stem. Each 1.5cm in length. Outer side light brown, black or greenish in colour. Inner side white. Column short, located in the back of the flower and not visible. Labellum 10mm long, the tip near the opening of the lateral sepals. Labellum white or cream with a dark brown or black tip…..CLICK & SEE  THE  PICTURES
Cultivation:
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. A saprophytic herb, it is without green parts and is entirely dependant upon a fungus for its nutriment. This makes it very difficult to cultivate outside its native range. As well as its fungal host, it also requires a damp humus-rich soil in a sheltered woodland position. The freshly opened flowers have a refreshingly aromatic scent, though this becomes foetid and unpleasant as the flowers fade. Orchids are, in general, shallow-rooting plants of well-drained low-fertility soils. 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.

Propagation:
Seed – surface sow, preferably as soon as it is ripe, into the plants natural habitat near existing colonies, or onto a bed of Quercus wood inoculated with the fungus Armillaria mellea (introduce this fungus into your land with extreme caution since it kills trees and there is no known preventative). 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. 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

Edible Uses: The root is up to 40cm long, as thick as an adults finger, and full of starch . It is roasted and eaten . The taste is sweet and mealy.

Medicinal Uses:
Not known.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastrodia
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Gastrodia+cunninghamii
http://www.nativeorchids.co.nz/Species/Gastrodia_cunninghamii.html
http://maoriplantuse.landcareresearch.co.nz/WebForms/PeoplePlantsDetails.aspx?PKey=131d8ed9-c332-4912-8315-c60eb0905f49

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