SPECIES DESCRIPTION
OPHRYS CRETICA subsp. CRETICA
Family and Genus:- See- ORCHIDACEAE
Common Names:- Cretan bee orchid
Homotypic Synonyms:- None
Meaning:- Ophrys (L) Eye-brow, a name used by the Roman naturalist and
philosopher Pliny.
Cretica (L) From Crete, Cretan.
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, 11-15 mm.and vary from oval to lanceolate. Green or very occasionally
pink, with curled edges.
a) lateral, flat, with purple-violet high-lights on their lower part. The
4) Petals, large, triangular and pointed; varying from greenish-red to purplish-violet
measuring 6-9 mm.
5) Labellum, 10-12 mm, 3-lobed varing between brownish-black to purplish-black;
a) lateral lobes, large and flat, rounded, with greyish-white furring.
b) mid-lobe, medium-sized, humped, 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. Fairly scattered across Crete.
Flowering time:- Late Mar to early Apr.
Photos by:- Fotis Samaritakis
