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Orchidaceae
Butterfly Orchid
Platanthera chlorantha
Elegance and mystery.
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Genus
- Platanthera
- Native to
- Europe, Western Asia, North Africa
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 0.5-2 ft
- Sunlight
- part shade
- Soil
- Moist, calcareous, humus-rich soil
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 5-8
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Butterfly orchid releases its fragrance primarily at night to attract the moths that serve as its main pollinators.
- The flowers have an exceptionally long nectar spur that can only be accessed by moths with long proboscises.
- Charles Darwin studied these orchids extensively and correctly predicted that specific moths had coevolved to pollinate them.
- This orchid depends on a symbiotic relationship with soil fungi for germination, as its dust-like seeds contain no food reserves.
- Butterfly orchids can take 5-7 years to grow from seed to first flowering, spending years as an underground tuber.
Color meanings
0
refinement
1
rare beauty
2
thoughtfulness