Orchis longicornu Poiret

Spice Detail Flower 1 Flower 2 In the field

Family: ORCHIDACEAE

Genus: Orchis

Catalan common name: Abellera banyuda.

Province distribution: Balearic Islands.

Distribution in the islands: Mallorca. Menorca.

General distribution (Phytogeography): South Mediterranean

IUCN Category: LCLeast concern

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Life-forms: Geophyte.

Habitats: Wild olive trees and other sclerophyllous shrublands. Juniperus phoenicea subsp. turbinata forest. Pine wood and shrubland with rosemary and thyme garigue. Therophytic calicole fields. Pine woodlands and garriques.

Characteristics: An unmistakable orchid due to its flowers which combine the purple colours of the lateral lobules of the labellum with the whitish pink of the rest of the flowers, moreover they are provided with a spur that is slightly curved upwards. The colours of the flowers are very variable from one specimen to another, some can be completely white, others wine pink. The spike of flowers is long and quite lax. The leaves are long, slightly narrow and in a basal rosette. It lives in clearings in garrigues (Mediterranean woodland). It flowers in February and March.