The Hanging Man Orchid is part of the Orchis genus, which has largely been stripped of many species now classified in the Anacamptis or Dactylorhiza genera. It was part of the Aceras genus, which now has no representatives in France.

Orchis are tuberous orchids, usually having two which gave them their Greek name Orchis which means testicle. One of the tubers allows the growth of the plant while the second forms during this same period and will replace the original tuber gradually withered the following year. If we were to dig up an orchid (which I of course prohibit), we would therefore find the tuber of the year more or less withered, the tuber in the making for the future season and sometimes an old one totally withered from the previous year.

Orchids are fairly tall plants (20 to 60 cm), rather robust and easily spotted in meadows, wastelands or light undergrowth. The preferred soils are generally calcareous or marly and rather dry.

The sepals and lateral petals are united to form a "helmet" while the central petal (labellum) offers a fairly complex shape that varies from one species to another. Three Orchis are quite close morphologically and "coloristically": Orchis militaris (Military Orchis), Orchis purpurea (Purple Orchis) and Orchis simia (Monkey Orchis). Hybridizations are therefore possible that will not allow a certain identification.

Of a color where green dominates, but with yellow and a little purple tints, it is generally not very colorful. Its labellum is long and narrow, a bit like a silhouette whose legs and arms hang down along the body, hence its name "hanging man" in French and "Man orchid" in English. It likes drained limestone soils and is often found on small slopes, edges of paths, embankments, rarely on forest paths but sometimes on the edge of woods.

It hybridizes easily with other Orchis (military, purple or monkey).

Present in many departments (except Brittany), it flowers between the end of April and the end of June depending on the region and altitude. It is one of the most common orchids in France.