Orchis purpurea

Lady orchid

Photographed 7 May 2001  Epirus, NW Greece

Negative number 01fc29

The Lady orchid is one of Europe's spectacular orchids, it stands up to 39 " (100 cm) tall with wide leaves and a magnificent flower spike. The flowers have hairs/spikes sticking up from the spots in the labellum. It is readily distinguishable from Orchis simia and militaris by the labellum shape and the colour of the hood, which was likened to a lady's bonnet. Different populations have different shades of purple colour on the labellums, the plants in Kent are typically paler than those in middle England and Greece. In England it is a fairly rare orchid, with only a few sites, it can however be locally common.