Orchidaceae FAMILY
Dactylorhiza maculata
Dactylorhiza maculata
Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
2/5
Safety & Hazards
None known
Botanical Description
Dactylorhiza maculata is a herbaceous perennial growing from a tuberous rootstock; the flowering stem is up to 60cm tall. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is commonly grown as an ornamental.
Habitat & Origin
Origintemperate
Native RangeThroughout Europe and through northern Asia to Siberia and Mongolia; northwest Africa - Morocco, Algeria
HabitatGrassland, meadows, marshes, dune slacks; sea level to 2,400 metres. Subsp. maculata also on sphagnum bogs, moorland, heathland, mostly on acidic soils; subsp. fuchsii also in tundra, peat bogs, open woods and woodland edges, mostly on calcareous soils