Heath spotted-orchid

Appearance

''Dactylorhiza maculata'' reaches on average 15–45 centimetres of height, with a maximum of 70 centimetres . These plants are bulbous geophytes, forming their buds in underground tubers or bulbs, organs that annually produce new stems, leaves and flowers. Furthermore, these orchids are "terrestrial", because unlike "epiphyte" species they do not live at the expense of other large plants.

This orchid has an erect, glabrous and cylindrical stem, with a streaked surface. The leaves are oblong or oval-lanceolate, with dark ellipsoid-shaped "spots" on the surface . The leaves are amplexicaul and can be either radical or
cauline.

The underground part of the stem has two webbed tubers each one more or less deeply divided into several lobes or tubercles , the first one plays the important functions of supplying the stem, while the second one collects nutrient materials for the development of the plant that will form in the coming year.

The inflorescence is 5–15 centimetres long and it is composed of flowers gathered in dense spikes. The flowers are placed in the axils of bracts membranous and lanceolate-shaped. Their colors vary from light pink to purple or white with darker streaks mainly on the labellum . The flowers reaches on average 10–15 centimetres . The flowers are hermaphrodite and pollinated by insects, especially bumblebees. However the seeds germination is conditioned by the presence of specific fungi.

Naming

The name of the genus ''Dactylorhiza'' is formed from Greek words δάκτυλος "daktylos" meaning "finger" and ρίζα "rhiza" meaning "root" and refers to the tubers of this plant, that are split into several tubercles. The specific Latin name "maculata" refers to the stained leaves. The scientific binomial name of this plant was initially Orchis maculata, proposed by the Swedish naturalist and botanist Carl von Linné in 1753. The name has been subsequently amended to the one currently accepted , by the Hungarian botanist Károly Rezső Soó in 1962. In German this plant is called ''Geflecktes Knabenkraut'', in French is called ''Orchis tacheté'', in Italy is called ''Orchide macchiata''.Many names have been proposed for species and varieties in the species. As of June 2014, the following are accepted:

# ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''maculata'' Soó - most of species range
# ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''battandieri'' H.Baumann & Künkele - Algeria
# ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''caramulensis'' Verm. - France, Spain, Portugal
# ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''elodes'' Soó - much of Europe from Portugal and Iceland east to European Russia
# ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''ericetorum'' P.F.Hunt & Summerh. - British Isles, Sweden, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain
# ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''islandica'' Soó - Iceland
# ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''podesta'' Kreutz in C.A.J.Kreutz & H.Dekker - Netherlands
# ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''savogiensis'' Kreutz - France, Spain, Italy
# ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''schurii'' Soó - Romania, Ukraine
# ''Dactylorhiza maculata'' subsp. ''transsilvanica'' Soó - Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, Ukraine, Czech Republic

Habitat

The ''Heath Spotted Orchid'' prefers sunny places on lowlands or hills, it can be found in slightly damp meadows, but also in the undergrowth of dry forests, in areas with bushes and at the edges of streams. They grow on siliceous and calcareous substrate, at an altitude up to 2,200 metres above sea level.