Coelogyne cristata
| Coelogyne cristata | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
| Tribe: | Arethuseae |
| Genus: | Coelogyne |
| Species: | C. cristata |
| Binomial name | |
| Coelogyne cristata Lindl. (1821) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Coelogyne cristata is an epiphytic orchid that comes from cool, moist areas of the eastern Himalayas and Vietnam. It blooms every spring, before the snow begins to melt. Its genus name Coelogyne originates from two Greek words, koilos ("hollow") and gyne ("woman"), because of the orchid's concave stigma. Cristata takes its species name from crista, the Latin word for "comb", because of the look of the flower's lip.
Nicknames
Although it is better known by its botanical name, Coelogyne cristata does have nicknames around the world. In Scandinavia and Germany, it is known as the "Snow Queen" because it keeps blooming in the melting snow. It is called Schneekönigin in Germany, Snödrottningorkidé in Sweden, Snødronning in Norway, and Lumikuningatar in Finland. But the Bulgarians prefer "Angel Orchid" (Ангелската орхидея) because its color reminds them of the clothes of the angel. The Chinese and the Japanese are less poetic. For the Chinese, it was bei mu lan (北蘭) – "Orchid of the North Woods". The Japanese simply call it aruba ran (アルバ蘭) – "Alba Orchid" (from the Latin word for "white", alba) but they do sometimes know it as the Eastern Himalayan orchid. Its botanical name, coelogyne cristata, is pronounced in Japan as "serojine kirisutata" (セロジネ キリス).
This is probably the orchid that gave a town near Darjeeling in the Indian Himalayas, Kurseong, its name. Kurseong was named by its first settlers centuries ago as खरसाङ or Kharsang, the Lepcha word for "The Land of the White Orchids".
Description
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Coelogyne cristata has many short stems, which holds the fragrance inside the flower. The petals are up to 8 centimetres (3.1 inches) in diameter and snow white with a yellow spot on the lip. This orchid blooms in the late winter, when the snow begins to melt. Its leaves are deep green and narrow, between 10 and 15 centimeters (3.9 and 5.9 inches) long. Bulbs are the size of walnuts.
Cultivation and care
In pots, the Coelogyne cristata orchids require a lot of light, but not direct sunlight. They should be kept cooler than room temperature, between 16 and 18 °C (61 and 64 °F) during the day and 12 °C (54 °F) at night. In the summer, it is permissible to leave them outdoors in partial shade. But, if the temperature is too high, they will not bloom. During the growing season, they should have plenty of water because they require high humidity. Shower them with lime- and sodium-poor water. After the orchids bloom, gradually reduce the watering until November, when the resting period begins. Stop it when the resting period begins. Coelogyne cristata should not have any more liquid nourishment. Because it is an epiphyte, it can be managed with very little nutrition.
After the resting period, when Coelogyne cristata starts to grow again in the spring, it can be replanted in porous and fibrous material, such as pine bark, charcoal pieces and even a little sphagnum, which are all known to be favorable to the orchids. But it should not be planted until the pot is filled with roots. Propagation is by division but it can be difficult to manage.
In cultivation in the UK, this plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[1]
Ethnobotanical use and pharmacology
In Ayurvedic medicine, Coelogyne cristata is known as Swarna Jibanti and its pseudobulbs are traditionally used as a health tonic and rejuvenator, credited with adaptogenic, anti-ageing and anti-stress properties; among native peoples of the temperate Himalayas it has also been used to treat fractured bones, tremors, epilepsy and other nerve disorders.[2]
Phytochemical screening of pseudobulb extracts has identified alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, phenolic compounds, saponins and sterols, with active biomarkers further characterised by HPLC.[3] In a 2018 study, a hydro-alcoholic pseudobulb extract reduced behavioural and biochemical markers of chronic-fatigue-like symptoms in aged Wistar rats under experimental conditions, with effects broadly comparable to those of Panax ginseng, a standard anti-stress comparator; the authors suggested the extract's antioxidant properties as a possible mechanism, and no toxicity was observed at doses up to 2 g/kg.[3]
Antimicrobial screening of leaf and pseudobulb extracts has produced mixed results between studies. Buyun, Tkachenko, Osadowski and Gyrenko (2016), presenting at the AgroBioNet international network's Nitra conference, found that ethanolic extracts of both leaves and pseudobulbs produced pronounced inhibition zones against Staphylococcus aureus (28 mm and 20 mm respectively), with methanolic extracts showing only mild activity and ethyl acetate, hexane and dichloromethane extracts showing none.[4] By contrast, Wati and colleagues (2021), testing 70% ethanolic pseudobulb extracts of plants cultivated at the Hortus botanicus Leiden against Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, S. aureus and Yersinia enterocolitica, found no inhibition zones for C. cristata under their assay conditions, in contrast to positive results they obtained for the related species Coelogyne fimbriata.[5] This discrepancy may reflect differences in extraction solvent, plant provenance, cultivation conditions or assay methodology between the two studies, and underscores that antimicrobial results for this species should not be treated as fully settled.
Chemistry
C. cristata contains the phenanthrenes coeloginanthridin (3,5,7-trihydroxy-1,2-dimethoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene), a 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene derivative, and coeloginanthrin, the corresponding phenanthrene analogue, coelogin and coeloginin.[6]
References
- ↑ "Coelogyne cristata". www.rhs.org. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ↑ Pramanick, D.D. (2016). "Pharmacognostic studies on the pseudobulb of Coelogyne cristata Lindl. (Orchidaceae) – an epiphytic orchid of ethno-medicinal importance". Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry. 5 (1): 120–123.
- 1 2 Mitra, A.; Sur, T.K.; Upadhyay, S.; Bhattacharyya, D.; Hazra, J. (2018). "Effect of Coelogyne cristata Lindley in alleviation of chronic fatigue syndrome in aged Wistar rats". Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine. 9 (4): 266–271. doi:10.1016/j.jaim.2017.06.011. PMC 6314245. PMID 29102461.
- ↑ Buyun, L.; Tkachenko, H.; Osadowski, Z.; Gyrenko, O. (2016). "Antimicrobial activity screening of extracts from leaves and pseudobulbs of Coelogyne cristata Lindl. (Orchidaceae)". Agrobiodiversity for Improving Nutrition, Health and Life Quality 2016. Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, on behalf of the international network AgroBioNet.
- ↑ Wati, R.K.; de Graaf, E.F.; Bogarín, D.; Heijungs, R.; van Vugt, R.; Smets, E.F.; Gravendeel, B. (2021). "Antimicrobial Activity of Necklace Orchids is Phylogenetically Clustered and can be Predicted With a Biological Response Method". Frontiers in Pharmacology. 11 586345. doi:10.3389/fphar.2020.586345. PMC 7994927. PMID 33776752.
- ↑ Majumder, PL; Sen, S; Majumder, S (2001). "Phenanthrene derivatives from the orchid Coelogyne cristata". Phytochemistry. 58 (4): 581–6. Bibcode:2001PChem..58..581M. doi:10.1016/s0031-9422(01)00287-4. PMID 11576602.
External links
- Charles and Margaret Baker, "Cool-Growing Coelogyne Culture". Retrieved 2 February 2013