Microtis unifolia Rchb.F.

Common onion orchid (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Orchidaceae > Microtis

Characteristics

Plant at fl.10–100 cm. tall. Stem erect, ± fleshy. Lf often overtopping raceme. Raceme occ. to 30 × 1 cm., us. smaller; fls few to ∞, us. almost touching throughout. Per. green. Dorsal sepal c. 3 mm. long, tip acute and us. slightly turned upwards; laterals shorter, acute, deflexed, tips sts tending to coil under. Petals ± under dorsal sepal. Labellum oblong, often narrowest about mid-length; tip truncate to emarginate, not apiculate though sts folded to appear so; margin papillose and us. also crenate and undulate; anterior callus variously developed, verrucose, often raised on a rounded ridge; large basal calli oval, prominent, us. continuous at sides with narrow band of callus behind transverse furrow which is slit-like, not pouched; labellum standing away from ovary at very narrow angle. Base of column about as broad as stigma; wings us. membr. throughout.
More
(Description based on specimens from Christchurch, New Zealand) Leaf 100–400 × 5–10 mm. Inflorescence 100–400 mm long, stiff, 10–100-flowered. Flowers crowded, 3–4 × 2.5–3 mm, green. Dorsal sepal porrect to obliquely erect, ovate to elliptic, c. 2.5 × 2 mm, concave, with short blunt apical mucro. Lateral sepals inrolled, oblong-tapered, c. 3 × 1 mm, shallowly curved, apex blunt. Petals erect within dorsal sepal, narrowly linear, c. 2 × 0.8 mm, shallowly curved, apex blunt. Labellum porrect at base then recurved, oblong to rectangular, c. 3 × 1.5 mm, margins constricted below middle, irregularly folded/crinkled, no cell-clusters, apex entire or shallowly notched. Basal callus of 2 dark green mounds; apical callus smaller, granular.
Plants 15-30 cm tall. Tuber small, 4-7 × 3-6 mm. Leaf erect or suberect, 16-33 × 0.2-0.3 cm, adaxially channeled. Inflorescence usually more than 10-flowered, emergent through opening in lower half of leaf; rachis 2.5-5 cm; floral bracts narrowly ovate-lanceolate, 1-2 mm. Flowers green or pale green; ovary and pedicel 2-3.5 mm. Dorsal sepal concave and forming a hood, broadly elliptic, ca. 2 × 1.5 mm, apex obtuse; lateral sepals suboblong or narrowly elliptic, ca. 1.5 × 0.8 mm. Petals narrowly oblong, ca. 1.2 × 0.5 mm, apex obtuse; lip narrowly elliptic-ligulate, 1.5-2 × ca. 1.2 mm, slightly fleshy, with notched callus at base. Column extremely short. Capsule elliptic, ca. 4 × 2-2.5 mm. Fl. and fr. May-Sep. 2n = 44, 88.
A robust orchid. The stem is 60 cm high. The leaf is 30-80 cm long and 0.9-1.2 cm wide. The leaf is long and like a tube. The leaf is dark green with a green base. The flower stem emerges through the side. It is 90 cm long. The flowers are pale green. There can be 100 flowers on one single flower spike. The spike is 2-15 cm long. The flowers are 0.4 cm across.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.4 - 0.5
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Generally reported as widespread and common in many different habitats including open forest, woodland, grassland, heath, rock outcrops, seepage sites and swamps in a range of moisture-retentive to well-drained soils; also colonises gardens, lawns and pastures.
More
Open places such as on banks and in poor pastures in North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands. Grassy slopes, moist sunny meadows at elevations up to 2,000 metres in tropical areas.
A subtropical to temperate plant. It grows in tussock grassland. In Sichuan. In East Timor it occurs at 1,800 m above sea level.
Open places such as on banks and in poor pastures in North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands.
Light 4-9
Soil humidity 4-6
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-10

Usage

The tubers are eaten raw or roasted.
Uses food medicinal
Edible flowers roots tubers
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Seedlings can be grown by scattering seed around the base of established plants.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Microtis unifolia unspecified picture

Distribution

Microtis unifolia world distribution map, present in Australia, China, Japan, Norfolk Island, New Zealand, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Taiwan, Province of China

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:644729-1
WFO ID wfo-0000244329
COL ID 438SK
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 673345
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Microtis banksii Microtis benthamiana Microtis bipulvinaris Microtis frutetorum Microtis papillosa Microtis unifolia Ophrys unifolia Microtis aemula Microtis holmesii Microtis javanica Microtis longifolia Microtis formosana Epipactis porrifolia Microtis pulchella Microtis viridis Serapias porrifolia Microtis porrifolia