O. laxiflora
         O. morio picta

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Unless otherwise noted, all pictures on this site were taken in Pelion, Greece, shown on the map below.

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View images of the Common Toad, an ugly, bulky, but really sweet creature with an interesting... nightlife.

  Veggie of the Month

Learn about the Salsify, a beautiful plant, with edible and medicinal properties, that is currently blooming in Pelion.

  Cool Destination

Visit Mourtias, one of Pelion's most picturesque beaches on the Aegean coast.

  Exciting Site

Tour the Volos Archaeological Museum, a pretty century-old building, whose exhibits span a historical period of over 10 millennia!

  Month's Wallpaper

Download a fantastic picture of a rickety jetty in Lefokastron, Pelion, taken by Huw Jones.

Loading image. Please wait Orchis morio picta :: Lafkos - Milina, Pelion :: 2002/04/27 :: © A.Papadopoulos Orchis morio picta :: Lafkos - Milina, Pelion :: 2002/04/27 :: © A.Papadopoulos No image! No image! No image!

Green-Winged Orchid

Orchis morio picta

Orchis morio picta is a low to medium  perennial, with unspotted, broadly oval to  lanceolate leaves, mostly in a basal  rosette. Stem leaves sheathe almost up to the flowers.

Flowers, which measure approximately 6-8mm (1/3 - 1/4 in) in length, are borne in rather lax, oblong spikes. Sepals are purplish-violet, pink, greenish and, occasionally, white, forming a close helmet. Lateral sepals sport prominent green and, on occasion, purple veins. Lip is purple, pink, red or white, often with darker spots in a central lighter zone.

The plant is quite hardy and is not frost tender. It is in flower from about February to May. It prefers grassy meadows, scrub banks,  maquis,  garrigue and open woodland.

According to the "Plants for a Future" Web site, the plant's root can be eaten cooked. It is a source of "salep", a fine white to yellowish-white powder that is obtained by drying and grinding the tuber. Salep is a starch-like substance with a sweetish taste and a faint somewhat unpleasant smell. It is said to be very nutritious and is made into a drink or can be added to cereals and used in making bread etc. One ounce of salep is said to be enough to sustain a person for a day.

The same source states that salep is a very nutritive  astringent,  expectorant and  demulcent. It has been used as a diet of special value for children and convalescents. Rich in mucilage, it forms a soothing and demulcent jelly that is used in the treatment of irritations of the gastro-intestinal canal. One part of salep to fifty parts of water is sufficient to make a jelly. The tuber, from which salep is prepared, should be harvested as the plant dies down after flowering and setting seed.

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Fact Sheet

Type of plant
Low to medium perennial.

Flowering Season
February to May

Known Hazards
N/A

Known Uses
Root can be eaten cooked. Tuber is the source of salep, a nutritious substance that can be made into a drink or added to cereals and used in making bread. Medicinal uses allegedly include treatment of cancer. It is also a potent expectorant and demulcent. "Plants for a Future" rate this plant 2 out of 5 for edibility and 2 out of 5 for medicinal use (min. 0, max. 5).

Habitat
Grassy meadows, scrub, banks, maquis, garrigue, open woodland.

Distribution
Eastern Mediterranean.

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Taxonomy


Kingdom: Plantae (Plants); Subkingdom: Tracheobionta (Vascular plants); Superdivision: Spermatophyta (Seed plants); Division: Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants); Class: Liliopsida (Monocotyledons); Subclass: Liliidae; Order: Orchidales; Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid family); Genus: Orchis; Species: morio (Green-winged orchid); Subspecies: picta

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Acknowledgments


Information on the plant's edible and medicinal uses was obtained from "Plants for a Future".

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