Ophrys reinholdii - Reinhold's Ophrys

Phylum: Magnoliophyta - Class: Liliopsida - Order: Orchidales - Family: Orchidaceae

This beautiful specimen of Ophrys reinholdii was photographed in April in open sunny pine woodland

Description

Ophrys reinholdii grows up to 60cm tall, and each inforescence carries up to 10 large, showy flowers. The petals and sepals are pink with a vertical green stripe in the centre, but are also sometimes predominantly green. The lip is recurved and deeply divided into three lobes. The mirror (pattern) extends from the margin of the central lobe towards the centre. The two lateral lobes are oval, hairy and held vertically to the side of the central lobe. There is considerable variation in the shape and colouring of the flowers - see bottom picture.

Distribution

Ophrys reinholdii has very limited distribution centred in the eastern Mediterranean region where it can be found in Rhodes in scattered populations in the montane pine forests. It is rare.

This specimen was found in a much darker and denser part of the montain forests in Rhodes

Habitat.

This orchid is tolerant of mildly acidic conditions but prefers alkaline substrates. It grows in grassy and stony habitats as well in open forest.

Flowering times

It flowers in April.

The specimens shown here were photographed close to Profitas Ilias in Rhodes in April.

Etymology

The genus name Ophrys comes from Greek and means 'eyebrow' - a reference to the hairy fringe of the lip of the flower of many orchids in this genus. The specific epithet reinholdii relates to a Dr. Reinhold of Athens

Reference sources

The Plant List

Chris Thorogood (2019) Field Guide to the Wildflowers of the Eastern Mediterranean, Kew Publishing

Henrik AErenlund Pedersen & Niels Faurholdt (2007) Ophrys - The Bee Orchids of Europe; Kew Publishing

Rolf Kuhn, Henrik AErenlund, Philip Cribb (2019) Field Guide to the Orchids of Europe and the Mediterranean

Pierre Delforge (2005) Orchids of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East; A&C Black