This plant, “cuckoo tears”, as it is popularly called, has another name - orchis. Belongs to a large family of orchids. It got its name due to the characteristic shape of tubers, resembling balls of nucleoli or
small testicles. The genus of plants, which includes cuckoo tears, has more than 100 species that grow in the subtropical, temperate, cold zone of the
northern hemisphere. All of these species are very decorative. In the territory of the CIS countries, the common orchis is male and helmet-shaped. They are very similar to each other, but have some species differences. Male orchis is found in the southern regions of the forest zone of the entire European part of the Russian Federation, in Ukraine, the Baltic states, the Crimea, and the Caucasus. This flower grows in deciduous forests on any soil. Slam-bearing orchis is often found in meadows, forest edges and glades, on mountain slopes (up to 1800 m). It grows throughout the European part of the Russian Federation, in the Crimea and the Carpathians, in the Caucasus.
Both of these species of orchis have spherical tubers. At the bottom of their stem there are purple spots. The stem reaches 25-50 cm in height. On leaflets (8-14 cm) there are also often purple spots, most concentrated at the base of the leaf. The multiflowered inflorescence reaches 18 cm in length. Bracts are lilac, lanceolate. The flowers are purple or pale violet. The three-lobed, wide-oval lip of the flower is whitish at the base, covered with purple spots. The spur is dull, horizontal. Ovaries twisted, sessile. These plants bloom in April - May.
The orchis of the helmet-shaped inflorescence is dense, multi-flowered. First they have a cylindrical, and then a pyramidal shape. His bracts are purple-pink. The outer perianth is white-pink on the outside, and inside with purple veins. The lip of the flower is whitish on the base with violet-purple dots. Her blades are purple-pink. The spur is whitish, blunt, slightly bent. The flowers have a pleasant aroma.
Cuckoo tears multiply by seeds or tubers. Seeds germinate underground. Only for 2 years does a tuber appear. The first ground leaf appears for 4-5 years. This plant blooms only for 8-10 years after sowing seeds. Some specimens bloom for several years in a row, and some simply die off after flowering. A small percentage of orchis forms fruits. These plants are able to form hybrids among themselves.
Cuckoo tears can also be grown on personal plots. This plant prefers partial shade and moist soil. Non-acidic soils consisting of sheet soil, sand and peat are best suited for planting. Its surface must be mulched with dry needles. This plant requires regular watering. A cuckoo's tear flower can be propagated by seeds, but in this case you will have to wait for the flowering of this plant for several years. Orchis is successfully propagated by replacing tubers.
Cuckoo tears, the photos of which are given above, have long been used as a medicine. Their tubers contain mucus, dextrin, starch, sugars, proteins, resins, bitterness and mineral salts. This plant is used for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, bronchitis, poisoning with poisons.