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] The species epithet palustris is Latin for "of the marsh" and indicates its common habitat.[5]

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.[6] Variants without most of the reddish colours of the typical form have been called E. palustris var. ochroleuca.[7]

Variation in flower colour

References

  1. ↑ "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-01-25. 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. ↑ Archibald William Smith A Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names: Their Meanings and Origins, p. 258, at Google Books
  6. ↑ Webb, D.A., Parnell, J. and Doogue, D. 1996. An Irish Flora Dundalgan Press Ltd, Dundalk. ISBN 0-85221-131-7
  7. ↑ Davies, Paul; Davies, Paul; Huxley, Anthony (1983). Wild Orchids of Britain and Europe. London: Chatto & Windus. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-7011-2642-1.


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