Orchis provincialis

Provence orchis
	Flower of Orchis provincialis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Subfamily:	Orchidoideae
Genus:	Orchis
Species:	O. provincialis
Binomial name
	Orchis provincialis; Balb. ex Lam. & DC.
Synonyms
	Androrchis provincialis (Balb. ex Lam. & DC.) D.Tyteca & E.Klein; Androrchis provincialis var. rubra (Chabert) W.Foelsche & Jakely; Androrchis provincialis var. variegata (Chabert) W.Foelsche & Jakely; Orchis cyrilli Ten. 1820; Orchis laeta Steinh. 1838; Orchis leucostachys Griseb. 1840; Orchis mascula Alsch. 1832; Orchis olbiensis Ardoino ex Moggr. 1864; Orchis pallens Savi; Orchis provincialis var. laeta (Steinh.) Maire & Weiller 1959; Orchis pseudopallens Tod. 1842;

Orchis provincialis, the Provence orchid, is a species of orchid in the genus Orchis.

Description

Orchis provincialis is a herbaceous plant 20–40 centimetres (7.9–15.7 in) high. The 4-5 basal leaves are oblong-lanceolate, with a length of about 8 cm and arranged in a rosette, the color is green with purplish brown spots. The cauline leaves are sheathing the stem, with yellowish lanceolate bracts. The inflorescence comprises 5 to 30 small flowers. Their color varies from creamy white or pale yellow to various shades of pink and purple in some varieties. The lateral sepals are ovate and erect, the median sepal is slightly leaning forward. The labellum is trilobed, with small spots from orange to purple on the median lobe. The white spur is cylindrical and curved upward, longer than the ovary. The gynostegium is short, obtuse, with pale yellow pollen. This orchid blooms from March to June.

Distribution

The species has a Mediterranean distribution and it is widespread from north-western Africa, south-central and southern Europe to the Caucasus. It is native to: Albania, Bulgaria, Corse, East Aegean Is., France, Greece, Italy, Kriti, Krym, North Caucasus, Portugal, Sardegna, Sicilia, Spain, Switzerland, Transcaucasus, Turkey and Yugoslavia.^[1]

Habitat

Orchis provincialis prefers slightly acidic soils of grassland, scrub and woodland, at an altitude of 0–1,750 metres (0–5,741 ft) above sea level.

Taxonomy

It was first described by Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck & Augustin Pyrame de Candolle and then widely published by Giovanni Battista Balbis in Syn. Pl. Fl. Gall. on page 169 in 1806.^[1]^[2]

Gallery

Plants
Flowers
Flower
Close-up on a flower
Close-up on a flower
Leaf

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Orchis provincialis Balb. ex Lam. & DC. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Orchis provincialis Balb. ex Lam. & DC". www.worldfloraonline.org. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
^ Synonyms in The Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia

Other sources

Pierre Delforge - Orchids of Europe, North Africa And the Middle East - 2006, Timber Press
Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia (3 voll.) - Edagricole – 1982, Vol. III
Tutin, T.G. et al. - Flora Europaea, second edition - 1993

This Orchidoideae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[POWO-1] "Orchis provincialis Balb. ex Lam. & DC. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 24 May 2021.

[WFO-2] "Orchis provincialis Balb. ex Lam. & DC". www.worldfloraonline.org. Retrieved 24 May 2021.

[3] Synonyms in The Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia

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