SPECIES DESCRIPTION
OPHRYS CRETICA subsp. ARIADNAE
Family and Genus:- See-ORCHIDACEAE
Common Names:- Ariadne's orchid
Homotypic Synonyms:- Ophrys karpathensis
Meaning:- Ophrys (L) Eye-brow, a name used by the Roman naturalist and
philosopher Pliny.
Cretica (L) From Crete, Cretan.
Ariadnae (L) For Ariadne (in mythology the daughter of King Minos
Crete).
General description:- Short to medium perennial.
Stem:-
1) 15-40 cm. tall.
Leaves:-
1) Basal, oval to lanceolate blunt.
2) Cauline, narrower and pointed.
Flowers:-
1) Inflorescence, widely spaced with 2-8 flowers.
2) Bracts, larger than the flower.
3) Sepals, 1-15 mm. ovate-lanceolate, green or very occasionally pink, with curled
edges.
a) lateral, flat with purple-violet high-lights on the lower part.
4) Petals, 6-9 mm, triangular and pointed; varying from greenish-red to purplish-
violet
5) Labellum, 10-12 mm., 3-lobed, varying between brownish-black and purplish-
black.
a) lateral lobes, large and flat; rounded, with, greyish-white furring.
b) mid-lobe, medium-sized, humped, apparently oval and velvety in texture with a
smooth top which curls down-wards.
6) Blazon, greyish, with a rich, white border, sometimes consisting of 2 vertical
bands, and others of 4 approximately parallel lines, joined by a cross-pattern of
other smaller horizontal lines. The outgrowth is triangular,
7) Stigmatic cavity, large, rounded, constricted where it meets the base of the lip.
white in, decorated with a medium-sized black line, or black marks.
Habitat:- Dry open shrubby vegetation, fallow terraces, olive groves. 0-900 m.
Distribution:- Endemic Crete & Aegean. Common in central Crete but becoming
rarer in the extreme east and west.
Flowering time:- Late Mar to early Apr.
Photos by:- Steve Lenton
