Lad'yan

Family Orchidaceae. Lad'yan is found occasionally throughout the forest zone of Central Asia and the Caucasus, extending north into the tundra zone. It grows in Western Europe, Asia Minor, Mongolia, China, Japan, and North America.

Lad'yan grows in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests with a sparse herbaceous layer, often on bare soil or among mosses. It ascends into mountains up to 2000 m. Prefers shady, well-moistened sites; fairly indifferent to soil fertility and pH. In the northern part of its range it occurs in open places — in meadows and in tundra communities.

The plant lacks chlorophyll. The rhizome is whitish, branched into short shoots, resembling coral. Stems erect, slender, glabrous, yellowish, 10–25(30) cm tall, with 3–4 membranous sheaths (leaf blades reduced). The raceme is loose, 3–8 cm long, with 2–10 flowers. Bracts small, lanceolate, acute, 1.5–2 mm long, considerably shorter than the ovary. Flowers nodding, perianth segments oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, single-veined, 4–6 mm long, yellowish or greenish-white, sometimes with reddish-brown tips. The labellum is almost equal to them, three-lobed below the middle, with lateral lobes small and tooth-like and the terminal lobe large and whitish, near the base with two reddish longitudinal stripes and speckles. Flowers in May–June.

Reproduces mainly by seeds. After the seed germinates it remains underground for a long time, first as a tubercle, later as a branched rhizome. Pollinated by small insects.