Orchis patens
Orchis patens Desf.
Orchis patens is a species in the Orchidaceae family, native to the western Mediterranean region, including Algeria, Italy, and Tunisia. It was first described in 1799 by Desf. The plant features ovoid tubers, an erect stem 25–70 cm tall, and a basal rosette of 3–5 leaves. The inflorescence is a long-cylindrical spike with linear-lanceolate bracts and purple flowers. The labellum is 9–10 mm, ovate, spotted, and 3-lobed, with a saccate spur shorter than the labellum.
Description
Orchis patens has oblong-ovate to lanceolate leaves and a stem with sheaths above the rosette. The flowers have greenish bases on the outer perianth segments, with the lateral ones patent-deflexed and the median one curved forward or erecto-patent. The inner perianth segments are lanceolate-oblong. The labellum has two obliquely oblong, truncate lateral lobes and a broadly obcordate middle lobe with two truncate, crenulate lobules. The base of the labellum has two inconspicuous ridges. The spur is saccate, directed downward, and approximately four times the length of the ovary. It is found in habitats such as woods, hills, and steppes in the western Mediterranean.
Distribution
Algeria · Italy · Tunisia
Synonyms
Orchis brevicornisOrchis panormitanaOrchis patens var. fontanesiiBarlia patensOrchis patens var. brevicornisOrchis patens subsp. brevicornisOrchis brevicornis var. panormitanaAndrorchis patens