Milky orchid

Neotinea lactea

"Neotinea lactea", the milky orchid, is a species of orchid found in Europe from France to Turkey and in two North African countries: Algeria and Tunisia. Its flowers are pale to light pink, reflecting its Latin root "lacteus".
Neotinea lactea  Geotagged,Italy,Milky orchid,Neotinea lactea,Spring

Appearance

"Neotinea lactea" is a robust polycarpic geophyte of 10 to 25 cm high when flowering. The flower stem has a round cross-section with a rosette of 4 to 6 leaves at the base and is slightly ribbed at the top, with several smaller leaves sheathing the stem higher up. The many small flowers form a dense cluster of up to 7 cm long and oval or cylindrical in shape.

Naming

The species were first described in 1798 by Poiret from Algeria.

Habitat

"Neotinea lactea" prefers a dry calcareous soil with full sun to semi-shaded light. Plants can be found up to 1800 m elevation on calcareous grasslands, abandoned olive orchards, exposed locations in a garrigue and open forests.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassMonocots
OrderAsparagales
FamilyOrchidaceae
GenusNeotinea
SpeciesN. lactea
Photographed in
Italy