Epipactis palustris

Marsh helleborine
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Genus: Epipactis
Species: E. palustris
Binomial name
Epipactis palustris

Epipactis palustris (marsh helleborine[1]) is an orchid native to Europe, Turkey, north Iraq, the Caucasus, north Iran, West and East Siberia and Central Asia.[2][3] This species occurs in the Sarmatic mixed forests ecoregion.[4]

Description

This species has a stem growing to 60 cm high with erect leaves up to 12 cm long. The flowers are 17 mm across arranged in a one-sided raceme. In the typical form, the sepals are coloured deep pink or purplish-red, the upper petals shorter and paler. The labellum at least as long as the sepals, white with red or yellow spots in the middle.[5] Variants without most of the reddish colours of the typical form have been called E. palustris var. ochroleuca.[6]

Variation in flower colour

References

  1. "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families".
  3. "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families TDWG Geocodes" (PDF).
  4. C.Michael Hogan. 2011. "Sarmatic mixed forests". Topic ed. Sidney Draggan. Ed.-in-chief Cutler J.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment
  5. Webb, D.A., Parnell, J. and Doogue, D. 1996. An Irish Flora Dundalgan Press Ltd, Dundalk. ISBN 0-85221-131-7
  6. Davies, Paul; Davies, Paul; Huxley, Anthony (1983). Wild Orchids of Britain and Europe. London: Chatto & Windus. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-7011-2642-1.

External links


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