Ophrys mammosa

Ophrys mammosa was first described by Desfontaines from Samos in 1807 and its name refers to the prominent basal swellings, literally meaning "full breasted". It is a robust plant growing up to 70cm in height. Each lax inflorescence carries up to 18 flowers. The sepals and petals are olive green marked with brownish-red but the two lateral sepals are distinctly bi-coloured, the upper part being green and the lower reddish up to dark red. The lip is usually a dark brownish-red and occasionally has a yellow margin. The shiny speculum can be H-shaped, or consist of two vertical stripes which are parallel to each other.