SPECIES DESCRIPTION
ORCHIS PROVINCIALIS
Family and Genus:- See- ORCHIDACEAE
Common Names:- Provence orchid
Homotypic Synonyms:- Androrchis provincialis, Orchis morio var.
provincialis, Orchis pallens subsp. provincialis
Meaning:- Orchis (Gr) Testicle, (the shape of the root-tubers).
Provincialis (L) From Provence, southern France.
General description:- Short to medium perennial.
Stem:-
1) 12-30 cm tall, with several sheathing leaves in the lower part.
Leaves:-
1) Basal, 3-7, forming an indistinct rosette, broadly lanceolate, usually with large
dark spots.
2) Cauline, 2 or 3, sheathing the lower part of the stem.
Flowers:-
1) Spike, rather lax with 5-15(-20) flowers. Flowers rather uniformly pale
yellow.
2) Bracts, lanceolate, 1-3-veined, equalling or longer than the ovary.
3) Sepals and petals, spreading to erect, not forming a hood.
4) Labellum, 11-16 mm, broadly obovate in outline, shallowly 3-lobed,
downward-curving in the distal half, deeper yellow or orange, with some small
reddish-purple dots along the middle.
a) central lobe, somewhat longer, notched and toothed.
5) Spur, 15-20 mm, cylindrical, obtuse, slightly upward-curving.
Key features:-
1) Leaves, usually with large dark spots.
2) Labellum, downward-curving in the distal half.
Habitat:- Open woodland and meadows, occasionally in dry open shrubby
vegetation or terraced olive groves. (0-)300-1300 m.
Distribution:- Scattered throughout Greece. - S Europe from N Spain and Portugal
to N Anatolia and Crimea. Very rare on Crete, known from only a few locations.
Flowering time:- Mid-Apr to early June.
Photos by:- Fotis Samaritakis
