Orchidaceae FAMILY

Habenaria intermedia

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial

Growth—

Orchids are, in general, shallow-rooting plants of well-drained low-fertility soils. Even those species that grow in bogs tend to be in the drier areas of the bog with plenty of water 15cm or more below soil level. 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^[1].

Propagation

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^[2]. 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. 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^[3]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Habenaria+intermedia>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

[1]Hardy Orchids. Orchids for the Garden and Frost-free Greenhouse. — Cribb. P. & Bailes. C. · Christopher Helm. London. · 1989 · ISBN 0 7470 0416 1 ↩︎An excellent book looking at the orchids that can be grown outdoors in temperate climates and giving lots of information on how to grow them. Very lttle information on their uses.
[2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[3]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
[4]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
[5]Distribution Pattern, Survival Threats and Conservation of 'Astavarga' Orchids in Himachal Pradesh, Northwest Himala — Ravi Kant; Jagdeep Verma; and Kranti Thakur · 2012 · ISBN 0972-5210 ↩︎
[6]Plants and People of Nepal — Manandhar. N. P. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 2002 · ISBN 0-88192-527-6 ↩︎Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
[7]Rare and Endangered Medicinal Orchids of Asthavarga Group in Attaranchal - Habenaria intermedia (Virdhii) and Habena — Manmohan Jagatram Dobriyal · 2002 ↩︎
[8]Assessment of Nutritional and Antioxidant Potential of Selected Vitality Strengthening Himalayan Medicinal Plants — Sandeep Rawat, Harish Andola, Lalit Giri, Praveen Dhyani, Ar · ISBN 1094-2912 ↩︎