Yellow bee orchid (Ophrys sicula)

 

Profitis Ilias, Lefkada

The weather has not been very nice the past few weeks and my job kept me busy, but last weekend I went camping and I have my computer full with new flowers!! So now I will need to find time to post them.

So I will get starting with this lovely Ophrys sicula belonging to the Orchidaceae family. Its common name is yellow bee orchid or yellow orchid (κίτρινη μελισσούλα) and it allocates to the shape it has that resembles a bee. I found an interesting video on the net that you can see by clicking here.

The name of the genus is Ophrys is derived from greek and means eyebrow and it refers to the hairy edge of the flower. The can be easily confused with the other orchids belonging in the lutea group (O. lutea and O. phryganae) but those two are a bit bigger than O. sicula. Moreover O. sicula has sparce lip hair and a more horizontal lip when compared to O. phryganae. It likes sunny positions and it can be found in stony and rocky places but also in grassland.

Profitis Ilias, Lefkada

Profitis Ilias, Lefkada

Profitis Ilias, Lefkada

Dactylorhiza saccifera

Dactylohriza saccifera (Orchidaceae family) is a relatively late blooming orchid (I saw those in July) that appears in vast number in Northen Greece. It can be easily distinguished from other orchids due to its thick and downwards bending spur and a deep divided lip with the central lob beeing slightly longer than the other two.

 The name of the genus Dactylorhiza comes from the greek words dactylos and riza that mean finger and root. It refers to the shape of the root of this genus. The name of the species means the one that has a sack. The colour of the flowers can vary from pale pink to purple but it always has the characteristic dots. The leaves are also covered in brownish dots. I saw all those beautiful orchids in Voidomatis valley in Epirus.

Giant orchid (Himantoglossum robertianum)

Himantoglossum robertianum or commonly known as giant orchid is part of the Orchidaceae family. I have to say that it has a big debate among my friends as some of them find it ugly while others think it's wonderful. I think that it is beautiful in its ugliness and it also smells lovely. It is one of the most robust orchid species and it is fairly common in the Mediterranean region. The colour of the flowers can range from white-green combinations to pink and purple. One of the main features is its lip that is divided in three lobes and the middle lobe is subdivided again. It blooms early in the year from February to April. I found this one in the begging of March in Lekatsa Forest near Preveza.

Violet Limodore (Limodorum abortivum)

Limodorum abortivum  (Orchidaceae family) is commonly known as Violet Limodore or Violet Bird's-nest Orchid (Λιμόδωρο το εκτρωτικό). It's name abortivum alludes to its pattern to produce flowers and even flower stems that die before they blossom. It is a myco-heterotroph and rarely a rarely a saprophyte.
Its existance is covered with a veil of mystery. . . below earth it forms a tangled web of thick roots which sends above a purplish stem with minute brown-purple leaves with few flowers. But what is even more peculiar is that it can wait underground for several years without flowering until the appropriate conditions appear. Finally although the flower can be pollinated it is frequently subjected to cleistogamy.
It is a rather ubiquitous plant in the Mediterranean although it can be difficult to spot because of its habits. I saw this one on Mt Olympus.