Habenaria radiata

Habenaria radiata, called the Egret Orchid or Dove Orchid, is a rare terrestrial orchid native to Japan, which surpasses anything that can exist in the vegetable kingdom. Its summer flowering closely imitates a cluster of doves, as each immaculate white flower blooms like a bird taking flight, with wings outstretched. Not content with being beautiful, the flowers are slightly fragrant. This bulbous plant requires a light substrate, water, and a bright exposure. It is truly a dreamlike creation, but quite difficult to cultivate, as it does not tolerate large temperature fluctuations well. This plant will delight knowledgeable collectors, who can create wonderful potted arrangements with it.

Habenaria radiata belongs to the Orchidaceae family. It is native to eastern Asia, but it is also found in temperate areas of America and Africa, where it grows in marshy but permeable soils that dry out in autumn. It is a 'cold' orchid, meaning it is not tropical and its vital optimum temperature is between 12 and 16°C (53.6 and 60.8°F). It can tolerate some frost, but does not tolerate large temperature fluctuations well. Habenaria radiata produces clusters of 2 to 8 delicately fragrant small white flowers for about four weeks in summer. They measure barely 3cm (1in) in diameter but deserve to be observed up close. The silhouette of each one evokes a white bird taking flight, its fringed wings widely spread, hence the vernacular name of dove orchid. The floral stems can reach 25 to 30cm (10 to 12in) in height, or even more. The leaves are also small (5 to 20 cm (2 to 8in) long), narrow (1cm (0.4in) wide) and ribbon-like. Once the flowering is over, the floral stem and leaves dry up. The tuber that allowed them to develop becomes desiccated, having developed very small filamentous tubers. These baby tubers mature in October, before entering a dormant period until spring. This plant is currently endangered in its natural habitat.

The dove orchid is mainly cultivated in pots. Like a collector's item, it deserves care and some attention that will allow it to flower in our latitudes.

Nowadays, Habenaria radiata is mainly found in turf moors in highlands at altitudes above 500m (1640ft). These areas are not, in most cases, suitable for rice cultivation, so this plant, along with many other rare species, has found refuge in the last wild strongholds of modern Japan.