Fly Ragwort

Fly Ragwort
	Fly Ragwort ( Ophrys insectifera )
Systematics
Family :	Orchids (orchidaceae)
Subfamily :	Orchidoideae
Tribe :	Orchideae
Sub tribus :	Orchidinae
Genre :	Ragwurzen ( Ophrys )
Type :	Fly Ragwort
Scientific name
	Ophrys insectifera
	L.

The fly orchid ( Ophrys insectifera ) is a plant from the genus of Ragwurzen ( Ophrys ) within the family of the Orchid Family (Orchidaceae). In order to draw attention to the particular endangerment of this species, the fly ragwurz was voted Orchid of the Year 2003 by the local orchids working group.

description

zygomorphic flower

The fly ragwort grows as a graceful, perennial herbaceous plant and reaches heights of 15 to 40 centimeters. This geophyte forms two underground, egg-shaped tubers as persistence organs. The stems are thin and greenish-yellow. The two to five leaves are arranged in a basal rosette, not lying close to the ground as with the other domestic Ragwurzen , but steeply upright.

The flowering period extends from the beginning of May to July. Two to twelve, rarely more flowers are loosely arranged in a long, spiky inflorescence . The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic and threefold. The sepals are green, 5 to 9 millimeters long and 3 to 4 millimeters wide. The petals are thread-like, hairy and 6 to 10 millimeters long. The three-lobed lip is 10 to 12 millimeters long, slightly hairy and the middle lobe is split. The color mostly brown with a slight tendency to reddish. The mark is right in the middle of the lip, gray-blue to metallic-blue in color.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 36.

ecology

Fruit cluster

Since the tuber of this tuber geophyte consists mainly of root , it is called the root tuber; but it carries a small part of the sprout at its tip, which in the next year grows into an above-ground sprout . One also speaks of an interchangeable tuber, since a new tuber emerges as a lateral organ from the axilla of the lower lower leaf every year and breaks through it.

There is an endotrophic orchid-type mycorrhiza . The root is colonized here with the mushroom Thanatephorus , whose imperfect (sterile) form is called Rhizoctonia . Like many other orchids , the plant initially begins its development underground by parasitizing on the fungus, and only after years does it develop flowering shoots. Seed development is only possible in the presence of the mycorrhizal fungus.

In terms of flower ecology, the fly ragwort is "orchis-type lip flower". Nectar is missing, but a "drilled tissue" is offered. At the base of the flower there are shiny bumps as "dummy nectaries", which are probably ecologically insignificant. This species is a typical insect deception flower, or sex deception flower. The petals simulate the shape of a wasp and attract the males of digger wasps (especially Argogorytes mystaceus ) with the emission of the sex hormone or the fragrance . These carry out mating movements on the lip, with the pollinia being transmitted. This behavior stops after the females hatch. The distant attraction is achieved through the resemblance of the lip to the female, the close attraction through a specific smell and touch stimuli.

The pollination by insects is generally sparse; in Central Europe mostly self-pollination takes place . The seed formation is partially apomictic . Chemo races differ in the composition of their fragrances. Therefore z. B. in France also an Andrena species found as a pollinator .

The columnar capsule fruits open when they are dry through longitudinal fissures. The fruits are wind and animal shakers. Each capsule fruit contains several thousand seeds. The tiny seeds weigh only 0.005 mg. They are carried away by the wind as granular fliers and have a sink rate of 20 cm / s. Flight distances of up to 50 km have been proven. Fruit ripening is from August to October. However, the seed set usually remains below 10%.

Occurrence

Fly Ragwort in Estonia

Ophrys insectifera subsp. subinsectifera

The distribution area of the fly ragwort is limited to Europe. In Europe , the fly ragwort also penetrates into colder areas, for example the Urals and Scandinavia . Due to its ability to colonize colder regions, this species can also be found in the Alps in the colline to upper montane (subalpine) altitude range .

The fly ragwort thrives best on calcareous , loose, loamy or clayey soils with a good mix of humus. It prefers semi- arid grassland , bushes or light dry forests in areas with a warm summer climate . The fly ragwort thrives on poor grass , dry grass , semi-dry grass, in sparse pine forests , rarely also limestone bogs or humus-infused gravel banks of mountain rivers. It is a species of the Mesobromion Association, but also occurs in dry societies of the Molinion or Erico-Pinion associations.

The fly ragwort is rare in Central Europe, but at its locations it sometimes occurs in small, loose and not very individual populations. In the Alps it rarely rises above altitudes of 1500 meters (in the Engadine , for example, it rises almost to 1800 meters). In the Allgäu Alps, it rises in the Tyrolean part on the southern slope of the Aggenstein up to 1620 meters above sea level. According to Baumann and Künkele , the species has the following altitude limits in the Alpine countries: Germany 20–1620 meters, France 0–1800 meters, Switzerland 260–1900 meters, Liechtenstein 470–1550 meters, Austria 280–1600 meters, Italy 100–1930 meters, Slovenia 250-1300 meters. In Europe, the species rises to 2020 meters above sea level.

Taxonomy and systematics

The first publication of Ophrys insectifera was by Carl von Linné . The generic name Ophrys is derived from the Greek word όφρύς ophrys for eyebrows. The specific epithet insectifera is derived from the Latin insectifer = "insect carrying". A synonym is Ophrys muscifera Huds.

One can distinguish between two subspecies:

Aymonin's Ragwurz ( Ophrys insectifera subsp. Aymoninii Breistr. ): It occurs in France and Spain.
Ophrys insectifera subsp. insectifera : It occurs in Europe except in the north. Argogorytes mystaceus and Argogorytes fargei were observed as pollinators .
Ophrys insectifera subsp. subinsectifera (CEHermos. & Sabando) O.Bolòs & Vigo : It occurs in northern Spain.

Hybrids

It often hybridizes with the bumblebee ragwort ( Ophrys holoserica ). In nature reserves and other known locations, this is often due to "two-legged" pollinators. Further hybrids with the other domestic and various Mediterranean Ragwurzen are possible.

photos

Pollen transmission
Ophrys insectifera with pollinia
Endangered plant species on Latvian postage stamp

Sources and further information

literature

Standard literature on orchids:

Working groups local orchids (ed.): The orchids of Germany. Working groups of domestic orchids, Uhlstädt-Kirchhasel 2005, ISBN 3-00-014853-1 .
Helmut Baumann, Siegfried Künkele: The wild growing orchids of Europe. Franckh, Stuttgart 1982, ISBN 3-440-05068-8 .
Karl-Peter Buttler : Orchids. The wild growing species and subspecies of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (= Steinbach's natural guide. 15). Mosaik, Munich 1986, ISBN 3-570-04403-3 .
Hans Sundermann : European and Mediterranean orchids. 2nd Edition. Brücke, Hildesheim 1975, ISBN 3-87105-010-5 .
John G. Williams, Andrew E. Williams, Norman Arlott: Orchids of Europe with North Africa and Asia Minor (= BLV determination book. 25). Translated, edited and supplemented by Karl-Peter Buttler and Angelika Rommel. BLV, Munich / Bern / Vienna 1979, ISBN 3-405-11901-4 .

Individual evidence

↑ Fly Ragwort. In: FloraWeb.de.
↑ ^a ^b Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . 8th edition. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 . Page 277–278.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Ruprecht Düll , Herfried Kutzelnigg : Pocket dictionary of plants in Germany and neighboring countries. The most common Central European species in portrait . 7th, corrected and enlarged edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2011, ISBN 978-3-494-01424-1 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Rafaël Govaerts (ed.): Ophrys insectifera. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved May 10, 2020.
↑ ^a ^b Dietmar Aichele, Heinz-Werner Schwegler: The flowering plants of Central Europe . 2nd Edition. tape 5 : Swan flowers to duckweed plants . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-440-08048-X .
↑ Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings. Volume 1, IHW, Eching 2001, ISBN 3-930167-50-6 , p. 361.
↑ Helmut Baumann , Siegfried Künkele : Orchidaceae . In: Oskar Sebald u. a .: The fern and flowering plants of Baden-Württemberg. 1st edition Volume 8, page 408. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1998. ISBN 3-8001-3359-8
↑ ^a ^b Helmut Baumann , Siegfried Künkele and Richard Lorenz: Orchids of Europe with adjacent areas . Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart, 2006, page 170.