Orchis italica

Orchis italica
Flower of Orchis italica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Subfamily:	Orchidoideae
Tribe:	Orchidae
Subtribe:	Orchidinae
Alliance:	Orchis
Genus:	Orchis
Species:	O. italica
Binomial name
Orchis italica Poir.
Synonyms
Orchis longicornis Lam. Orchis tephrosanthos Desf. Orchis longicruris Link Orchis undulatifolia Biv. Orchis welwitschii Rchb.f. Orchis longicruris subsp. longipenis Font Quer & P.Palau Orchis italica var. fontinalis F.M.Vázquez Orchis fusca var. stenoloba Coss. & Germ. Orchis italica f. breviloba Halácsy Orchis italica var. fontinalis F.M.Vázquez[1]

Orchis italica, commonly known as the naked man orchid or the Italian orchid, is a species of orchid native to the Mediterranean.^[2] They are widely popular for their petals looking like naked men. It prefers partial shade and low nutrient soil and flowers in April. O. italica grows up to 50 centimetres (20 in) in height, with bright pink, densely clustered flowers. They are found commonly and widespread in the Mediterranean in large clusters.^[3]

Orchis italica
Habitus - Toscana

Distribution

Orchis italica is native to southwestern Europe (Balearic Islands, Portugal, Sardinia, and Spain), southeastern Europe (Albania, Greece, Italy, Crete, Sicily, and countries of the former Yugoslavia), western Asia (Cyprus, the East Aegean Islands, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Palestinian Territories and Turkey), and northern Africa (Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia).^[4]

References

1. Orchis italica Poir. The Plant List 2013
2. Q Farms (28 July 2012). "Orchis italica or The Naked Man Orchid". Farming & Agriculture. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
3. Orchis italica - Naked Man Orchid, Italian Orchid First-Nature.com
4. "Orchis italica". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 10 February 2016.