Eastern early-purple orchid

Orchis ovalis

A relatively large, tuberous orchid, 15 - 60 I; tall. At the top, the stream is reddish in color, and at the base the whole of it is marked with red, mainly in the form of stripes. The broadly oval-lanceolate leaves are similarly patterned, with red marks mainly towards the base of both surfaces of the leaves. The bracts are equal to or longer than the ovaries. The pink flowers are relatively large, and often pendulous. The sepals are elongated, pointed at the tip, and curved upwards. The central sepal forms a hood with he petals. The lateral sepals spread horizontally forward. The lip is three-lobed, wavy at the periphery, and lighter at the base with thick dark-pink dots. The central lobe is longer than the lateral lobes, and divided in two at its tip. The spur is upright, sylindrical, and as long as the lip. Bloom from April to July.
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Distribution

In the southeastern part of its range, including in Bulgaria, the Eastern early-purple orchid nis difficult to differentiate from the morphologically similar Pine forest orchid (Orchis pinetorum Boiss. & Kotschy), while in western and central regions it is confused with Early-purple orchid (Orchis macula (L.) L.). Unlike them, the pointed forward sepals of the Eastern early-purple orchid are much more elongated and tapered, and curve upwards at the tip, giving more 'shaggy' look to the inflorescence. In scientific literature, the species is viewed as a subspecies of the Orchid macula, and is described with different names.
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Habitat

Prefers sunny or moderately shady, grassy places such as pastures, sparse scrubs, low herbaceous meadow, mostly in hilly and mountainous areas. It is usually a rare species, but in a few places forms populations with many individuals. Its distribution is not well studied because of difficulties in its identification and systematics. In Bulgaria, it occurs locally at altitudes up to 1500 m, including the Central Rhodope.

References:

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Michaela Yordanova - Orchids of the Rhodope Mountains
Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassMonocots
OrderAsparagales
FamilyOrchidaceae
GenusOrchis
SpeciesOrchis ovalis
Photographed in
Bulgaria