Cremastra

Family Orchidaceae. Found in the forests of Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, Japan and Korea. According to A.S. Meshcheryakov, most often under the canopy of maples.

The plant is 30-50 cm tall, with a grooved stem, a chain-like rhizome and oval pseudobulbs about 3 cm long. Leaf single (rarely two), oblong-ovate, 15-25 cm long, 3-4 cm wide, slightly folded, narrowing into a petiole; in addition, the stem bears several leaf sheaths. Inflorescence a one-sided raceme of 10-20 flowers. Bracts linear-lanceolate, 7-10 mm long, acute. Flowers pink or pink-purple, up to 3-4 cm long. Perianth segments tubularly appressed, saccate at the base, linear-elongated, acute. Lip without a spur, slightly widened at the base, three-lobed; lateral lobes lanceolate, small, straight, the middle lobe elongated, truncate, slightly bent backward at the apex. Capsule ellipsoid. The plant has a pleasant scent. Rare in cultivation, though quite undemanding, not harmed by spring frosts.

Location: it does not tolerate open sites with compact, dry soils. For planting, prepare a semi-shaded spot with a loose substrate made of a mixture of leaf mold, peat and sand (2:2:1). The surface of the substrate should be mulched annually with conifer needles. This species is propagated by seed (seedlings flower in the 10th–15th year) and by dividing the rhizomes in April or September. In the garden the plant should be divided every five years, because over time, especially on plots with compacted soil, it begins to "strangle" itself and eventually dies.

Propagation: by dividing the rhizomes. Over time, in good conditions it spreads into dense clumps. When planting Cremastra do not cover its bulb with substrate, because after that, if it does not die, it will stop flowering.

Cremastra is a promising orchid for widespread cultivation in temperate regions.