Ponerorchis Rchb.f. is a genus of terrestrial tuberous orchids in the Orchidaceae family that was sometimes included in the genus Orchis but in 2025 is considered to be a synonym of Hemipilia Lindl.
Hemipilia graminifolia (Rchb.f.) Y.Tang, H.Peng & T.Yukawa, syn. Ponerorchis graminifolia Rchb.f., is from Japan and Korea. Another synonym for this plant is Orchis graminifolia (Rchb.f.) Tang & F.T.Wang. Height: 15 cm. This species is very popular in Japan where it has been grown since the Edo period by Samurai and is now grown in small orchid pots and displayed with many fancy cultivars selling for outrageous sums of money. It is very easy to grow; the biggest danger is too much water and thence rot. After they've flowered, they'll stay in growth for a long time then just go to sleep with the fall. At this point, I put the pot in the greenhouse and don't give them a drop of water until spring rolls around again. They are happy bone dry in the pot. If you knock them out, be prepared to play hunt the tuber; they are like many Orchis that gather a coating of whatever medium they are in that very effectively camouflages them. Treat them like a pot of Rhodohypoxis. Information supplied by John Lonsdale and Matt Mattus (who grows this plant in a cold greenhouse in New England). The first photo from John Lonsdale and the second from Martin Bohnet.
