Ophrys apifera

Bee orchid

The height of this orchid varies from from about 3 to 25 inches (7-70 cm) and the number of flowers per stem from 2 to more than 14. Mowing or grazing of stems before seed production usually results in more buds the following year. The sepals are typically 10 - 20 mm long and the leaves, which can persist until after flowering in June/July (given enough water), appear above ground in September/January in England, the leaf rosette is close to the ground. Late December to the end of February is usually the easiest time to find Bee orchid plants as the leaves have a distinctive silvery green colour. In cultivation, given  access to fertilizer, and lower light levels, the leaves become a deeper green colour and loose much of their silvery appearance. It produces one to three new tubers each year, if it does not become too dry during when the leaves are visible. If it aborts its flowers and sets no seed it is a clear sign that it has been too dry and that it will not have formed a significant replacement tuber.

It is believed by some people that if it becomes too dry it can form tiny tubers at or near the ends of its roots and that these then take a number of years to reach flowering size. When raised from seed, with or without fungus, it is possible for Bee orchids to reach flowering size in 2 years, in nature, with less than ideal conditions, it may take many years, depending upon water supply. Plants that are watered during droughts flower every year with a large number of flowers per spike and can produce more than one tuber per year. Although the tuber is regarded primarily as a food store by many people, in a wet Autumn  the tuber can become very large (3 x 4 cm or more), even though a tuber smaller than 1 x 1.5 cm can produce flowers. This suggests that the tuber may be storing large quantities of water whenever possible. I have transplanted a number of Bee orchids from threatened locations to safe ones (with the appropriate permissions) and I have not seen any evidence for deep roots like those found in Dactylorhizas, or even any roots that penetrate much below the bottom of the tuber. The spread of the roots can be very small. The combination of lack of water during flowering and the tiny root system is probably responsible for the belief in England that Bee orchids are short-lived (or only flower once)  and prone to disappear and reappear randomly. 

The habitat is very variable - in Britain it is found in two apparently different alkaline habitats -

1) on chalk grassland, often on dry looking hillsides where its stature is usually at the short end of the size range. It typically occurs with the Fragrant orchid Gymnadenia conopsea, Common spotted orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsii and the Pyramidal orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis.

2) in dune slacks (wet sandy areas close to the sea) where it typically occurs with the Marsh helleborine Epipactis palustris.

In Crete and Cyprus we have seen them growing in very wet marshes near the sea with rushes and sedges. These ones typically have very pale sepals compared to the British ones.

This orchid is widely distributed throughout Europe, the northern limit of its range in England was just north of the River Tyne, but now the range has extended north into Scotland. There are many species of Ophrys in Europe, but only four in England (O apifera, fuciflora, insectifera & sphegodes).

The following is quoted verbatim from an E mail that I received from Dave Atkinson.

"The problem with O. apifera is that it is actually polycarpic, not monocarpic as was previously thought. This means that the same tuber can lie dormant up to a number of years and then flower, giving the casual observer the impression that is a first year coloniser. The seeds may have germinated years ago but development halted as it entered the dormant phase. The population dynamics of this plant are erratic and require a long term study to fully understand (20+ years). My research did involve an area of industrial land with this species (now developed) and only 6 were found in the 1st year while in the following year over 40 were seen. This species favours this type of habitat, since competition is low. But do not be alarmed if few appear next year, as was previously explained, this is a result of dormancy, induced by stress of reproduction, herbivory and/or climate. But consideration should be made for changing associated species assemblage through time (succession)."

I am not sure which opinion is correct - untill it is known for certain I will continue to regard it pseudo dormant. This property is also shared with other Ophrys, Orchis and Platanthera in the UK.

It seems likely that the various forms of O. apifera are actually epigenetic mutations and that all the forms have the same DNA sequence but with differing methylation. Interesting things can happen because of this - I have seen a single flower spike with normal and and mutated flowers, but the next year it can produce all normal flowers or even all mutated flowers

Due to the self pollination of flowers these mutations can become stable i.e. seed from O. apifera var bicolor will produce more plants of O. apifera var bicolor if self pollination occurs.

  There is still much to learn about this species.

 Bill