Spiranthes sinensis aka Ladies Tresses

Spiranthes sinensis is a small orchid that lives for years. Its family is Orchidaceae. It grows in clumps from a tuberous rootstock, a swollen root base. Kew gives its native range as Assam to south-central Japan and New Caledonia. Kew also lists Réunion. Useful Tropical Plants adds Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, and the Philippines. It also lists New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and Western Australia. The RHS states that it is not native to Britain or Ireland.

Plants reach about 0.4–1 foot (0.13–0.30 m) tall. Useful Tropical Plants also gives a summary height: 0.7 feet (0.20 m). These sizes describe a low plant, not a tall border orchid. Its swollen base helps it live from year to year. The supplied accounts give no clear leaf shape or stem details. They give no flower or fruit details for this species. Thus, they do not confirm flower colour or bloom dates.

In the wild, it grows in damp, open spots. These include gaps in forests and thickets, or dense shrubs. It also grows in wet grassland, meadows, and marshes. Known sites lie 656–11,155 feet (200–3,400 m) above sea level. Kew puts it in the temperate climate group. The Nepal account gives a closer view of its home there. It grows in forests where broad leaves stay green year-round. These range from subtropical sites to warm temperate uplands.

In Nepal, most rain falls from mid-June to mid-September. Winters in those forests range from warm to mild. In general, frost comes just a few times. These notes do not show how much cold garden plants can bear. Useful Tropical Plants says it grows best in sun. Its damp wild sites also suggest it likes moist ground. The evidence gives no soil texture, pH, or plan for watering. It lists seed and division as ways to grow more plants. Division means splitting a plant into parts.

People grow this orchid for its looks. They also gather wild plants for local use as medicine. Folk uses include boiling the plant to treat fevers that return. People also use its tubers as a tonic. These uses do not prove that it has health benefits. Useful Tropical Plants lists no food use and no known hazards. That does not mean the plant is safe to eat. The supplied accounts give no pest or disease details for this species.