Ophrys umbilicata subsp. lapethica

Name/Όνομα:  Οφρύς της Λαπήθου

Scientific name/Επιστημονικό όνομα:   Ophrys umbilicata subsp. lapethica* (Gölz & H. R. Reinhard) Faurh.

Common name/Κοινό όνομα:  Woodcock Orchid, Schnepfen-Ragwurtz        

Family/Οικογένεια: ORCHIDACEAE

*synonym  Ophrys lapethica  Gölz & H. R. Reinhard

 Description

It is a perennial tuberous herb growing to 35cm high.  Basal leaves wide, simple, elliptic, green, glabrous, venation parallel, apex acute, subacute or obtuse, sometimes mucronate, sessile, unspotted.  Stem leaves alternate, simple, smaller, narrowly elliptic, erect.  Flowers spirally arranged.  Sepals 3, whitish pink to purplish-violet, with prominent greenish midvein.  Dorsal sepal curving forward over gynostegium.  Petals triangular, smaller, pink to violet, hairy, apex usually obtuse, often bending backwards.  Lip 3-lobbed without a spur.  Median lobe larger, convex, thicker in the middle, brown to reddish-brown, covered with short and dense hairs (velutinous), shortly hairy towards margin or appendage.  Speculum is short located on the middle or on the upper part of the lip and it consists of a brown or pale blue or purplish H shaped pattern, with creamy, brown or purple borders.  Lateral lobes smaller, pointing upwards, covered with dense brown to reddish-brown hairs.  Stigmatic area with a brownish-purple band.  Basal area U – shaped, brown with bluish-purple border.  «Pseudoeyes» blackish to olive –green.  Appendage, yellowish- green 3-dentate, reflexed.  Gynostegium green or pale yellow.  Flowering time February-March.  Near endemic (also in Turkey), locally common.  On grassy land, open forests, garrigue, from 50-600m alt