OPHRYS FUCIFLORA subsp CANDICA

Including subsp fuciflora

Family and Genus:- See- ORCHIDACEAE

Common Names:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- Ophrys candica

Meaning:- Ophrys (L) Eye-brow, a name used by the Roman naturalist and

philosopher Pliny.

Candica (L) From Crete, Cretan.

Fuciflora (L) Drone-flowered (the superficial resemblance of the flower

to a drone-bee).

General description:- Short to medium perennial.

Stem:-

1) To 55 cm tall, occasionally taller.

Leaves:-

1) Basal, oval to lanceolate blunt.

2) Cauline, narrower and pointed.

Flowers:-

1) Spikes, with 2-8 flowers, sometimes more.

2) Sepals, oval, pale purple, pink or whitish.

3) Petals, triangular to linear-lanceolate, up to 1/3 length of the sepals. brown or

violet-brown, velvety.

4) Labellum, 9-13 mm long. oval to rounded. usually unlobed but with a large

forward pointing tip, velvety, dark brown-purple, occasionally with a yellowish

margin and a velvety boss on each side of the base.

a) speculurn, scutelliform, with a distinct white or yellowish margin.

Key features:-

1) Perianth-segments, pink, pale purplish or whitish.

2) Inner perianth-segments 1/5 as long as the outer.

3) Labellum, with distinct basal protuberances

4) Speculum, scutelliform, with wide whitish or yellowish margin.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Dry open shrubby vegetation, open coniferous woodland and fallow

terraces. 0-1100 m.

Distribution:- Widespread in W Europe and the C & E Mediterranean region

extending to SE Anatolia. Somewhat scattered distribution across Crete.

Flowering time:- Mostly Mar-Apr.

Photos by:- Saxifraga Ed Stikvoort

OPHRYS FUCIFLORA subsp FUCIFLORA Back to Top

Homotypic Synonyms:- O. aegiritica, O. episcopalis, O. helios.

Resembling Ophrys fuciflora subsp. candica, but differering in the following characters:

1) Mirror coherent, usually complicated, often incorporating a large, H-shaped
figure.

Habitat:- As for subsp. candica.

Distribution:- As for subsp. candica.

Flowering time:- As for subsp. candica.