Serapias lingua. Serapias en langue. Tongue orchid. Serapias cannot be confused with any other species of orchid. Identifying them from each other will sometimes be more complex because it is normally necessary to explore their interior. Most species (the most common) are fortunately easily identifiable from their morphological appearance. Doubt will remain when certain species coexist and hybrids may appear. Essentially Mediterranean, some species are found in the southwest quarter and go up to Vendée. Sporadic appearances are observed elsewhere and notably in the Paris region, but the development remains random and these are rarely viable populations due to the lack of pollinating insects. Nevertheless, serapias develop several tubers and can thus, when conditions are favorable, multiply vegetatively, thus constituting small colonies without having been pollinated. Depending on the region, flowering will take place from April to June. Serapias lingua is a species widespread south of a diagonal that goes from Brittany to Nice. Its presence does not of course stop at the French borders. Few flowers on each foot, a dark pink glabrous labellum and a remarkable dark callus. Size from 10 to 30 cm. Click on the photos to enlarge

Gymnadenia rhellicani. Orchis vanille. Nigritella are high altitude orchids only. They can be found in the Massif Central or the Jura for the lowest altitudes but abundantly in the Alps and also in the Pyrenees. Differentiating the species will be a complicated task because even within a station we will find plants with more or less conical or round spikes, more or less elongated. The coloring is generally purple as for many high altitude plants. All species have a more or less pronounced smell of vanilla. It will therefore be necessary to rely on specialized works to find distinctive signs in the shape of the labella and bracts. Click on the photos to enlarge

Ophrys insectifera. Ophrys mouche. Fly orchid Ophrys of Western Europe mainly, the Ophrys insectifera although quite widespread in France will escape quick glances. The flowers are few in number, small and elongated on stems of 15 to 60 cm. Little colored apart from a more or less bright gray band on the labellum. This orchid flowers between mid-April and the end of June up to 1500 meters. As with almost all Ophrys, the shape of the labellum will present varied forms: more or less wide or cut. If we clearly distinguish the 3 green sepals at the back, the two lateral sepals are reduced to the state of thin "antennas" more or less short of the same color as the labellum. A subspecies endemic to Aveyron (Ophrys aymoninii) has a yellow margin. Click on the photos to enlarge

Découvrez Ophrys arachnitiformis Ophrys en forme d'araignée sur Orchidée-photo.com Ophrys splendida . Ophrys splendide. Brilliant orchid. Gölz & H. R. Reinhard Ophrys splendida is one of the newly described species and, as with many very localized southern species, the taxon is debated. It is sometimes regarded as Ophrys arachnitiformis or Ophrys exaltata , with a supposedly later flowering period, but since it is not observed exactly in the same places, it is difficult to give much credit to this claim. The sepals and petals are white to pink, with a medium- to large-sized, elongated labellum. The lateral petals are white or pink in the center (generally concolorous with the sepals) and bordered with yellow or green along the wavy edges. As is sometimes the case, much depends on conviction rather than solid scientific evidence, so one must remain cautious. For my part, I provide this description and these observations with due reserve, in the hope of a settled debate and a precise diagnosis in the future. Click on the photos to enlarge

Ophrys passionis. Ophrys de la passion. An orchid of the aranifera section. It is therefore quite close to the much more common spider orchid. The petals are in principle quite wide and purple in color (entirely or at the margin). The basal field is very dark and more so than the labellum, which gives a second criterion since in O. aranifera, this field is lighter or concolorous. O. passionis flowers at the same time as O. aranifera, which leads to hybrids. It is present in far fewer departments in the south and west of France. Click on the photos to enlarge

Ophrys fuciflora. Ophrys frelon. Late spider orchid. (F.W. Schmidt) The hornet or bumblebee Ophrys is a small Ophrys in size (often 10–20 cm, sometimes up to 30 cm and exceptionally 40 cm). The habit is stocky, and the flowers are generally few in number (from 2 to 10). The labellum has a characteristic trapezoidal shape, covered with hair and variable markings. One should note the two atrophied petals, generally concolorous (pink) with the sepals behind them. Petals and sepals may be white but are always concolorous. The lateral sepals are sometimes “pointed” but may also be very rounded, so this is not a key feature for identification. The sepals are less extended than in the bee Ophrys, but there is little risk of confusion due to the overall appearance of the flower. Also note the very conspicuous yellow appendage at the tip of the labellum. This Ophrys is more easily seen in eastern France, but it is present in other French departments (a little more than half of them). In the Alps, it is found below 1400 m. It develops in habitats ranging from fresh to dry soils. It can be found on sufficiently drained embankments or roadside verges in particular, in fallow land, and sometimes in very shaded meadows. Ophrys fuciflora is also an “umbrella” species for many regional taxa for which it is difficult to recognise differences between them or with the type species. It shows variations in the shape, colour, or markings of its flowers that overlap with those of other regional names. There are also transitional forms toward Ophrys scolopax within populations, with smaller, oval labella.

Ophrys aveyronensis. Ophrys de l'Aveyron The Aveyron Ophrys is a "young" species in the sense that although it has existed for a long time, it has only been described recently. Endemic to Aveyron even if a species in Spain could be related to it (or vice versa?). Its characteristics are close to Ophrys sphegodes/aranifera (spider orchid) but its colors stand out within the family and genetically it would also have a relationship with Ophrys scolopax. Medium-sized but rather solid, it is easily noticed from mid-May to mid-June generally. Petals and sepals are pink (the petals a little darker) but its labellum presents infinite variations which take up the codes of the spider orchids (macules in the shape of H or X) but also speckled designs which make it original. It will of course be found in Aveyron, the north of Herault and sometimes Lozère. Click on the photos to enlarge

Ophrys massiliensis. Ophrys de Marseille. Early spider orchid. Almost nothing will differentiate it from the Ophrys aranifera/sphegodes (Spider Orchid) from a morphological point of view. Its labellum a little smaller perhaps? Carrying a caliper or being able to compare the 2 species in the same place is not the most convenient, even impossible since its singularity lies in its precocity because it flowers in the south of France from January most often but sometimes from the end of December. It is therefore officially only a subspecies or early regional variety, very similar to the Ophrys sphegodes (Spider Orchid). Click on the photos to enlarge

Anacamptis longicornu. Orchis à long éperon. Long spurred orchid. (Poiret) Where to find it ? Clic on the map and connect to Orchis sauvage, FFO-Fédération France Orchidées Quite close to Anacamptis morio, its purple coloring (but the shades are sometimes paler) and the fewer flowers will be determining elements. The labellum is often very folded on the sides and has a thin edge. The colors are very variable ranging from almost white to deep purple. Finally, the plant is rare in France: Corsica and some Mediterranean departments. Click on the photos to enlarge

Découvrez sur Orchidée-photo.com Dactylorhiza incarnata Orchis incarnat Dactylorhiza majalis . Orchis de Mai. Broad leaved marsh orchid. (Reichenbach) Some dactylorhizas will give you a hard time when it comes to identification, as each species varies and hybrids are common. In some regions, these hybrids may even outnumber the type species. Observing dactylorhizas is yet another demonstration that certain specialists tend to split and name what are sometimes merely varieties. Evolution is indeed underway, but it will not occur on the scale of our current humanity. Patience! I will therefore present only a few species, those whose identification remains certain. Dactylorhiza majalis grows in varied terrains but always in moist conditions. Less often in fallow land, and often in considerable numbers and density in mountain meadows. Its more or less folded labellum, its leaves which may or may not be spotted, and its variations in hue do not make diagnosis easy. (There is no point in checking whether the stem is hollow, as has sometimes been suggested for identification purposes, since dactylorhizas often have this characteristic; it would be a rather pointless sacrifice.) It flowers between April and July, depending on the habitat and altitude — which again makes it difficult to sort the various dactylorhiza species. Click on the photos to enlarge

Neotinea lactea. Orchis lacté. Milky orchid. Neotinea lactea is very close to Neotinea tridentata or Neotinea conica and there is great confusion between these species. The iconography of the authors can also be questioned because it sometimes does not match the descriptions, varying greatly from one guide to another... We must therefore remain cautious before stating with certainty which species it is: conica, tridentata or lactea. The differences concern, among other things, the size of the flowers or the shape of the floral stem: more conical for N conica , more cylindrical for N lactea . Since many plants are pauciflorous, it is almost impossible to certify whether the stem is conical or cylindrical... I am not afraid to state that when observing in the field, these variations exist within the same station and therefore appear to be not very discriminating if they are different species. Even though the only way to correctly identify a "difficult" species is to find several individuals with the same characteristics! And the risk of hybridization would be high for plants sharing the same biotope and flowering at the same time. In the current state of the descriptions of the different guides which present few photos and descriptions insufficiently discriminating, I grouped my views under N lactea not having encountered a station with enough specimens with conical stem to claim to have encountered it. However, it is almost impossible to be mistaken when you come across it and to confuse it with other neotinea (ustulata or maculata). The stems are quite stocky and the plant is often not very tall. The flowers are white or pink in color and pigmented. The helmet is streaked with green like Anacamptis morio (Jewel orchid). Click on the photos to enlarge

Découvrez sur Orchidée-photo.com Dactylorhiza incarnata Orchis incarnat Dactylorhiza praetermissa . Orchis négligé. Southern marsh orchid. (Druce) Some dactylorhizas will give you a hard time when it comes to identification, as each species varies and hybrids are common. In some regions, these hybrids may even outnumber the type species. Observing dactylorhizas is yet another demonstration that certain specialists tend to split and name what are sometimes merely varieties. Evolution is indeed underway, but it will not occur within the timescale of our present humanity. Patience! I will therefore present only a few species, those whose identification remains certain. Dactylorhiza praetermissa grows in varied terrains but always in moist conditions, and less readily in fallow land. Its labellum is rather flat, its leaves are rarely spotted, but the variation in labellum colours does not make diagnosis easy. (There is no point in checking whether the stem is hollow, as has sometimes been suggested for identification purposes, since dactylorhizas often have this characteristic; it would be a rather pointless sacrifice.) It flowers between May and July, depending on the habitat. It is mainly found in northern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Notably, in Newfoundland the plant was introduced “successfully” and is now considered invasive. Click on the photos to enlarge