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Geophyte perennial of the Orchidaceae family, Bletilla striata is native to China, Japan, and Korea, where it grows in grassy meadows, light forest edges, rocky slopes, and shaded banks, from sea level up to about 3,000 meters in the mountainous regions of central and southwestern China.
It develops an upright and elegant clump, reaching 30 to 50 cm in height, originating from flattened and fleshy pseudobulbs buried shallowly in the soil. The leaves, numbering three to six per stem, are lanceolate, longitudinally pleated, and a bright tender green; their waffled texture and alternate arrangement on the stem give the plant a delicately exotic appearance, akin to a small miniature palm.
The flowers, borne in loose clusters of five to twelve, are a bright magenta pink to lilac pink, with a darker lip marked with white and purple stripes. The typical form is pink, but cultivars with white or bicolored flowers exist in cultivation.
In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from April to June. In cultivation under temperate climates, it generally occurs in May-June.
In China, the pseudobulbs are used in traditional medicine for their hemostatic and healing properties, a use documented for centuries in the Chinese pharmacopoeia.
It requires a humus-rich, fresh, and well-drained soil, in partial shade or filtered sunlight, protected from deep frosts. Light winter protection is recommended beyond -12 °C.