Malaxis muscifera

Botanical Description

Malaxis muscifera is a perennial, terrestrial orchid growing from a bulbous rootstock; the stem can be 10 - 30cm tall. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is an important ingredient of the herbal tonic 'Chyavanprash', a popular medication in India. Malaxis muscifera is harvested from the wild for its roots, which form an important ingredient of the herbal formulation 'chyavanprash'. The level of exploitation is high and, in the CAMP workshop organised at Kullu in 1998 it was collectively agreed by the experts that more than 40% of the wild population in the Himalayan Region of India had declined over the previous 10 years. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].