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Giant Orchid
Height: 25 to 80cm
Colour: Pink, Brown, Green
Flowering: January - April
Soil type: Alkaline This is an early variety of orchid and aptly named as it is the largest in Europe. The large, deep green basal leaf rosettes form on the ground in December and January with a single, tall cylindrical flower spike emerging between January and March. The many individual florets are densely set along an upright flower stem or “scape” that can reach 80cm, often itself a dark purple. Seemingly at a distance the flowers are a pink colour but they can vary from a greenish white to a dark purple with a complex mottling surrounded by a darker border. These orchids, which have a light fragrance, can often be seen along grassy roadside verges and prefer alkaline soils with scattered shrubby vegetation such as maquis or light open woodland up to an altitude of 1700m. Synonyms: Orchis robertiana, Orchis longibracteatum These images of orchids were taken in Southern Spain, many terrestrial species are widespread from the Iberian peninsular eastwards through the Mediterranean region.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 16 January 2008 10:06 )
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