Résultats de recherche

Pseudorchis albida. Orchis miel. Small white orchid. An orchid that loves altitude and cool climates: We will find it from 500 m in the Alps, the Pyrenees and sometimes the Massif Central, Jura and Vosges. Elsewhere, we will find it in Northern Europe or in Russia. One of a kind. A medium-sized plant (between 10 and 30 cm), it grows in meadows or at the edge of high-altitude lakes. Quite easy to identify and generally spotable within the vegetation, it develops a variable inflorescence of approximately 10 to 50 flowers. Click on the photos to enlarge

Orchis anthropophora. Orchis homme pendu. Man orchid The Hanging Man Orchid is part of the Orchis genus, which has largely been stripped of many species now classified in the Anacamptis or Dactylorhiza genera. It was part of the Aceras genus, which now has no representatives in France. Orchis are tuberous orchids, usually having two which gave them their Greek name Orchis which means testicle. One of the tubers allows the growth of the plant while the second forms during this same period and will replace the original tuber gradually withered the following year. If we were to dig up an orchid (which I of course prohibit), we would therefore find the tuber of the year more or less withered, the tuber in the making for the future season and sometimes an old one totally withered from the previous year. Orchids are fairly tall plants (20 to 60 cm), rather robust and easily spotted in meadows, wastelands or light undergrowth. The preferred soils are generally calcareous or marly and rather dry. The sepals and lateral petals are united to form a "helmet" while the central petal (labellum) offers a fairly complex shape that varies from one species to another. Three Orchis are quite close morphologically and "coloristically": Orchis militaris (Military Orchis), Orchis purpurea (Purple Orchis) and Orchis simia (Monkey Orchis). Hybridizations are therefore possible that will not allow a certain identification. Of a color where green dominates, but with yellow and a little purple tints, it is generally not very colorful. Its labellum is long and narrow, a bit like a silhouette whose legs and arms hang down along the body, hence its name "hanging man" in French and "Man orchid" in English. It likes drained limestone soils and is often found on small slopes, edges of paths, embankments, rarely on forest paths but sometimes on the edge of woods. It hybridizes easily with other Orchis (military, purple or monkey). Present in many departments (except Brittany), it flowers between the end of April and the end of June depending on the region and altitude. It is one of the most common orchids in France. Click on the photos to enlarge

Himantoglossum hircinum. Orchis bouc. Lizard orchid. The orchid is common in almost all departments and flowers between May and June. A little earlier sometimes in some years. It is generally a large, robust orchid that likes calcareous soils and is often found on slopes. It gets its name from a sometimes musky odor, but often the scent is light or absent. The English more accurately call it "lizard orchid" because of its very characteristic oversized and sometimes twisted labellum. Click on the photos to enlarge

Neotinea maculata. Orchis intact (ou maculé). Dense flowered orchid. Another discreet plant of greenish to beige pastel color with touches of red, purple or brown. It often measures 10/15 cm at most and can reach 30 cm. 2 to 3 leaves at the base and possibly another sheathing one. The inflorescence is dense with small and rather closed flowers. The flowers appear disordered, which is rather rare in orchids. A plant from the Mediterranean region, it is only found in the south of France and on the Atlantic coast (including western Brittany). Click on the photos to enlarge

Cephalanthera rubra. Cephalanthère rouge. Red helleborine. Cephalantheres are generally light undergrowth orchids. The flowers open little except for the Rubra species presented here. It is described as red but is clearly closer to pink. Click on the photos to enlarge

Gymnadenia conopsea odoratissima. Orchis moucheron. Fragrant orchid. Gymnadenias have a reputation for giving off a faint vanilla scent and this species is no exception, although sometimes the flowers can be odorless. Gymnadenia odoratissima will be very difficult to differentiate apart from a more pronounced odor and a smaller size. In the field therefore, unless you have 2 populations to observe in parallel, naming one and the other requires measuring the flowers. The other morphological differences are quite subtle and relate to the size of the flowers, the shape of the labellum in particular. The distribution area being included in that of Gymnadenia conopsea , this complicates the task even more. Click on the photos to enlarge

Découvrez Ophrys apifera Ophrys abeille sur Orchidée-photo.com Ophrys apifera. Ophrys abeille. Bee orchid The Bee Ophrys. Ophr ys apifera : A discreet orchid but not rare in France. Its small size (between 10 and 30 cm) hides it in the sometimes tall grass but it also happens to find stems of more than 50 cm. It is one of the last Ophrys to flower (May to June). The design on the labellum can vary but the short and compact shape prevents confusion with other ophrys. The 3 sepals are generally more or less dark pink, and can also tend towards white. The dorsal sepal is often very far back. The two lateral petals are very atrophied and hairy: this is an important element for identification. The gibbosities are hairy. The species can self-fertilize which contributes to its "clonic" spread from a single individual. Eucera (bees) can also pollinate flowers and sometimes help create hybrids. We can find atypical individuals which according to their recurrence of form or coloration have a variety name (trollii, friburgensis...). This species is a treat for lovers of lusus or varieties. It is found in almost all French departments on calcareous soils and in full light, in semi-shaded orchards, rarely above 1000 m altitude. It invites itself into some private lawns as long as seeds arrive spontaneously and it is allowed to grow between April and June without mowing it inadvertently... Click on the photos to enlarge

Herbaria and Old Illustrations: Before photography and why not today as an alternative, illustrations are the first tools of naturalists. You will find after my own photographs some old illustrations from the 16th century to the first half of the 20th century. Among the oldest representations, it will sometimes be very complicated to recognize in these naive and approximate drawings for some, our orchids as we know them. It is unfortunately just as complicated to search in herbariums for a way to identify our discoveries. Among the significant works or the most representative illustrators of European terrestrial orchids, we can cite: - Franz Bauer (1758-1840). Austrian but worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew Garden. - Illustrated flora of Nice and the Maritime Alps (1868) by Jean Baptiste Barla (1817-1896). - Iconography of orchids of Europe and the Mediterranean basin (1929) by Edmond Camus (1852-1915). - Claus Caspari (1911-1980), German illustrator. - Jacobus Landwehr (1911-1996): Dutch author and illustrator of the 2-volume work Orchids of Europe (1977). - Eliza Klopfenstein (1921-2018): Belgian illustrator.

Ophrys lutea. Ophrys jaune. Yellow bee orchid Ophrys from the Mediterranean region, this Ophrys poses few identification problems due to its labellum largely edged with yellow. Petals and sepals are also a pronounced yellow, washed with green most often. In addition, it offers little variability. It is found in the south and southwest of France (1 subspecies in Corsica) on fairly dry land: wasteland, scrubland mainly. Measuring from 15 to 30 cm, the stem bears a few flowers which bloom from the end of March to the beginning of June depending on the region. Click on the photos to enlarge

Anacamptis laxiflora. Orchis à fleurs lâches. Loose-flowered orchid. Where to find it ? Clic on the map and connect to Orchis sauvage, FFO-Fédération France Orchidées The flower stalk is not very dense, hence its name, but this is a characteristic shared by other Anacamptis. The flowers range from light to dark pink. The plant is medium to tall and grows in humid environments (at least part of the year - in 2022, a very dry year, the Hérault station that I frequent did not experience any flowering). The density of the plants is very variable and sometimes the concentrations are significant. They grow in full sun or in slightly shaded environments. Its presence is attested over a large part of the territory but the populations can be low. Click on the photos to enlarge

Ophrys arachnitiformis. Ophrys en forme d'araignée. False spider orchid. Ophrys arachnitiformis is one of the species that is not always easy to identify, especially since the authors of guides (as well as many pseudo-specialists) do not always have the same definition, consider that the geographical distribution differs, or do not present similar illustrations. It must be considered as a subspecies of Ophrys sphegodes from the Mediterranean rim with a rather early flowering. The sepals and petals are white to pink with a medium-sized labellum. As sometimes, everything is a matter of conviction but not always of convincing scientific elements, we must therefore remain cautious and for my part, I deliver this description and these views with all reserve in the hope of a finally settled debate and a precise diagnosis for the future. Click on the photos to enlarge

Ophrys speculum. Ophrys miroir. Mirror orchid Also called Ophrys ciliata . eyebrow. A rare species in continental France, it is found in Corsica and on Mediterranean islands. Its almost permanent absence in France would be due to the lack of pollinating insects, so the populations observed are rarely perennial: it appears here and there, disappears and then reappears. But how does it manage to flower? As it is found in the Mediterranean departments, and sporadically on the Atlantic coast, the fertile seeds would arrive carried by the southerly winds, which would allow the emergence of small populations but not their development from flowering plants in France. Easily recognizable with its shiny labellum, sometimes blue, initially surrounded by yellow and then fringed with abundant hair, it looks like it is made of glazed or enameled ceramic. It grows in open wasteland, scrubland and in calcareous soil. Click on the photos to enlarge