Habenaria plantaginea Lindl.Family: Orchidaceae
English: Plantain habenaria
Marathi: कदली हबेअमरी kadali habe-amri
Bangladesh: Kusuma gadda
Description: Herbs; stem 6-20 cm high. Leaves 3 or 4, 5.5-8.5 x 2-3 cm, elliptic or elliptic-oblong, acute, adpressed to the ground. Flowers white, in about 26 cm long, lax raceme; dorsal sepal 5 x 4 mm, broadly ovate, obtuse, 3-veined, hooded; lateral sepals 6 x 3.5 mm, obliquely elliptic, obtuse, 5-veined; petals 4 x 2 mm, obliquely elliptic-oblong, obtuse, 1-veined; lip 3-lobed; lateral lobes 6 x 7 mm, ovate, subacute, crenate; midlobe 6 x 2 mm, spathulate, subacute; spur 33 mm long, cylindric, acute.
Tubers of H. plantaginea are used to treat wasting diseases, fever, disorders of blood, haemorrhage and fainting. In the Eastern Ghats of Andra Pradesh, tubers of H. plantaginea, together with black pepper and garlic, are pounded into a paste and converted into tablets. One or two tablets are given to relieve chest pain and stomach ache. In Bangladesh, tubers are also used to treat chest pain and stomach ache. Medicinal Orchids of Asia]
