Malaxis unifolia Michx.

Green adder's-mouth orchid (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Orchidaceae > Malaxis

Characteristics

Plants 3–50 cm. Pseudobulbs 5–20 mm diam. Leaves 1(–2, rarely), near middle of stem; blade bright green, glossy, narrowly to broadly ovate, keeled abaxially, 1.6–10 × 0.5–5 cm, apex acute. Inflorescences racemes, appearing umbellate before elongation of rachis, 1–13 cm; floral bracts triangular, 0.16–1.4 mm; pedicels (3.8–)5–10(–13) mm. Flowers 10–160, resupinate, green; dorsal sepal oblong-elliptic, 1.1–1.9 (–2.2) × 0.5–1 mm, apex acuminate; lateral sepals oblong-elliptic, 1.1–1.9(–2.2) × 0.5–1 mm, apex acuminate; petals strongly recurved, linear to filiform, slightly falcate, 0.8–1.7(–3) × 0.1–0.2(–0.3) mm; lip rhombic-deltate to cordate-ovate or oblong-elliptic, 1.1–2.3 × 1–2.2 mm, base cordate or auriculate, auricles less than 0.6 times as long as distance from base of lip to apex of middle lobe, apex 3-dentate; column 0.4–0.6 × 0.4–0.6 mm; pollinia yellow. Capsules spreading to slightly drooping, subglobose to ellipsoid, 8 × 4 mm.
More
Scape 1–3 dm; lf solitary, sessile, oval or elliptic, 3–6 cm, a third to half as wide; infl flattened or broadly rounded at the summit; pedicels 4–8 mm; upper sep elliptic, obtuse, erect, 1.3–1.5 mm; lower sep similar, spreading or deflexed; lateral pet linear, 1 mm, recurved behind the fl; lip lowermost, greenish, oblong in general outline, 2–2.5 mm, its basal angles prolonged into auricles behind the fl, its summit deeply 2-lobed, with a small central tooth in the sinus. Damp woods and bogs; Nf. and Que. to Man., s. to Fla., Tex., W.I., and C. Amer. (Microstylis u.)
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.03 - 0.5
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
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Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 4-9

Usage

Uses medicinal
Edible -
Therapeutic use Diuretic (root)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
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Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Malaxis unifolia unspecified picture

Distribution

Malaxis unifolia world distribution map, present in Åland Islands, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, France, Micronesia (Federated States of), Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Malaysia, Nicaragua, and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:280291-2
WFO ID wfo-0000234307
COL ID 6R4SL
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 761997
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Malaxis thlaspiformis Malaxis unifolia Microstylis grisebachiana Microstylis ophioglossoides Microstylis unifolia Prescottia ophioglossoides Achroanthes laxiflora Achroanthes obtusifolia Malaxis amplexicolumna Malaxis grisebachiana Malaxis ophioglossoides Orchis ophioglossoides Achroanthes unifolia Malaxis unifolia f. bifolia Malaxis unifolia f. unifolia Achroanthes ophioglossoides Microstylis oophioglossoides Microstylis ophioglossoides var. mexicana Microstylis unifolia var. bifolia Malaxis unifolia f. variegata