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Platanthera bifolia.
Platanthère à deux feuilles.
Lesser butterfly orchid.

Almost as widespread as Planthera chlorantha, this orchid can be found from sea level (but not from Brittany to Pas de Calais) up to 2000 meters. It grows in open meadows and in shaded areas from the end of April to July for high altitude locations.

In metropolitan France, we also find Platanthera chlorantha. Differentiating the two is not easy from a morphological point of view: from 20 to 60 cm, the same shades and similar leaves. It will therefore be necessary to approach it closely and observe the inside of the flower. The anthers are distant and trapezoidal in shape for chlorantha and tight and parallel for bifolia. The first views of these two species will therefore illustrate this point.

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