Orchids / Orquídeas

Of the four indigenous orchids known in Madeira, only one – the Orchis foliosa – is truly ornamental. It does not bloom in Funchal, but in the ravines of the interior, it produces small, purple, and odorless flowers, sometimes gathered in elongated spikes. The palmate tubers of this orchid can be used to extract salep, which is why in some parts of the island it is becoming rare. Some foreigners who visited our island years ago took all the tubers of the Orchis foliosa they could gather in Ribeiro Frio back to their country!