Orchis militaris

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Orchis militaris Poir. is a synonym of Orchis italica.

Military orchid
Orchis militaris - Valkse.jpg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Genus: Orchis
Species:
O. militaris
Binomial name
Orchis militaris
Synonyms
  • Strateuma militaris (L.) Salisb.
  • Orchis rivinii Gouan
  • Orchis cinerea Schrank
  • Orchis brachiata Gilib.
  • Orchis galeata Poir.
  • Orchis mimusops
  • Zoophora atropurpurea Bernh.
  • Zoophora rubella Bernh.
  • Orchis nervata Marchand
  • Orchis stevenii Rchb.f.
  • Orchis raddeana Regel

Orchis militaris, the military orchid,[1] is a species of orchid native to Europe. It is the type species of the genus Orchis.

Description[]

Orchis militaris - Ohtu.jpg

This plant grows to a height of 20 to 50 cm with a robust stem with rather drawn up oblong basal leaves. The inflorescence forms a purplish dense cone consisting of from 10 to 40 flowers. In each flower the sepals and side petals are gathered together to form a pointed "helmet" (whence it gets its name), a lilac colour outside and a veined purple colour inside. The central tongue finishes in two lobes separated by a tooth.

Flowering period[]

Depending on location, April to June.

Habitat[]

Likes full light on a dry calcareous substrate. For example, unfertilized lawns, meadows, edges and light woods up to 2000m in altitude.

Distribution[]

It is well distributed around Europe, reaching as far north as southern Sweden, but rather rare in the Mediterranean areas.

It is extremely rare in Britain and a protected species, occurring only at the Rex Graham nature reserve in Suffolk and the Buckinghamshire Chilterns.[2]

Uses[]

Orchis militaris contains the nutritious polysaccharide glucomannan, and is one of the original species of orchid whose ground-up roots are used to make the drink salep.

Chemistry[]

Orchinol is a phenanthrenoid that can be isolated from infected O. militaris.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. ^ Stroh, Peter A. (2016), Orchis militaris L. Military Orchid. Species Account. (PDF), Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, retrieved 1 November 2019
  3. ^ Structure of Orchinol, Loroglossol, and Hircinol. Roy M. Letcher and Llewellyn R. M. Nhamo, J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 1973, pages 1263-1265, doi:10.1039/P19730001263

External links[]

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