Italian orchid
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Italian orchid ( Orchis italica ) |
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The Italian orchid ( Orchis italica ) belongs to the genus of orchids ( Orchis ) in the family of orchid plants (Orchideaceae). The botanical name is made up of the Greek όρχις orchis = testicle and the Latin italicus = in - or from Italy. The name refers to the plant from Italy described as a holotype and does not make any statement about the distribution area. The species occurs in the entire Mediterranean area.
description
Habit and leaves
The Italian orchid is a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches average heights of 20 to 50 centimeters, but can also be up to 70 centimeters high. This geophyte forms two large, round to egg-shaped tubers as persistence organs. The stem has two to four scale leaves at the base. The five to ten spotted or unspotted leaves are wavy on the edge, their size varies in length between 5 and 13 centimeters and 1 to 3 centimeters in width.
Inflorescence and flowers
The dense, floriferous inflorescence is hemispherical to cylindrical in shape. The short bracts are a maximum of a third as long as the ovary . The basic color of the flowers is whitish to pink with red spots. The sepals (sepals) are lanceolate, pointed, 8 to 15 millimeters long and 3 to 5 millimeters wide. The lateral petals (petals) are tongue-shaped, 5 to 10 millimeters long and form a pointed helmet with a vein-shaped pattern. The lip ( labellum ) is deeply split into three lobes and 12 to 19 millimeters long. The spur, 4 to 8 millimeters long, is curved downwards.
The flowering period extends from March to May (February).
Genetics and development
The Italian orchid has a karyotype of two sets of chromosomes and 21 chromosomes each ( cytology : 2n = 42).
The seed of this orchid does not contain any nutrient tissue for the seedling . The germination therefore takes place only when infection by a root fungus ( mycorrhiza ).
The time from germination to development of the flowering plant is not known.
ecology
The Italian orchid grows on rough meadows, in sparse forests and maquis up to a height of 1300 m . The plant prefers dry to alternately moist and base-rich soils with a pH of 7.0 to 7.6.
distribution
The distribution area of the Italian orchid stretches from North Africa , Spain and Portugal over the entire Mediterranean area to Lebanon .
According to Buttler (cf. bibliography) it is a floral element of the Mediterranean sub-Mediterranean Florence zone.
Conservation and endangerment
Like all orchid species found in Europe, the Italian orchid is also subject to strict protection by European and national laws.
The Italian orchid is the most common orchis species in the Mediterranean region .
Subspecies, varieties, hybrids
There are no known subspecies of the Italian orchid. The following clans are listed as varieties :
- Orchis italica var. Albiflora Nicora ex Fiori & Paol. 1896 with pure white flowers
- Orchis italica var. Maculata Soó 1932
- Orchis italica var. Purpurea Vöth with purple flowers.
The following hybrids have been proven:
- Orchis × apollinaris Baumann & Halx 1971 ( Orchis italica × Orchis simia )
- Orchis × diversifolia Gaudagno 1923 ( Orchis italica × Orchis tridentata )
- × Orchiaceras bivonae Soó 1940 ( Orchis italica × Aceras anthropophorum )
Systematics
The Italian marsh orchid was first described in 1798 by the French theologian Jean Louis Marie Poiret (1755-1834). This basionym is also the botanical name valid today: Orchis italica Poiret 1798.
Other descriptions of this type are considered synonyms :
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From a taxonomic point of view , the Italian orchid belongs to the orchis in the Orchis militaris group and the Orchis militaris group, which also includes the orchid orchid ( Orchis militaris ), the monkey orchid ( Orchis simia ) and the spotted orchid ( Orchis punctulata ), the Galilee orchid ( Orchis galilaea ), the purple orchid ( Orchis purpurea ) and Stevens orchid ( Orchis stevenii ).
According to Bateman et al. a. (cf. special literature) the sans horn ( Aceras anthropophorum ) also belongs to this group. (Note see: Systematics of fire orchid ( Orchis ustulata ))
Picture gallery
Orchis italica
Habitus - Toscana
Orchis italica
inflorescence - Portugal
Orchis italica
inflorescence - Cyprus
Orchis italica
inflorescence - Cyprus
Orchis italica
flowers
Orchis italica
flowers - Mallorca
literature
- Standard literature on orchids
- Helmut Baumann , S. Künkele: The wild growing orchids of Europe. Franckh, 1982, ISBN 3-440-05068-8 .
- Karl-Peter Buttler : Orchids, the wild species and subspecies of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Mosaik Verlag, 1986, ISBN 3-570-04403-3 .
- Pierre Delforge: Guide des Orchidées de'Europe, d'Afrique du Nord et du Proche-Orient . Lynx Edicions, 2002, ISBN 84-87334-38-5 .
- Erich Nelson: Orchis. Foundation Dr. Nelson, 2001, ISBN 3-9522293-0-X .
- Hans Sundermann : European and Mediterranean orchids. 2nd Edition. Brücke-Verlag, 1975, ISBN 3-87105-010-5 .
- JG Williams et al. a .: Orchids of Europe with North Africa and Asia Minor. BLV Verlag, 1979, ISBN 3-405-11901-4 .
- Special literature
- RM Bateman, AM Pridgeon, MW Chase (1997): Phylogenetics of subtribe Orchidinae (Orchidoideae, Orchidaceae) based on nuclear ITS sequences. 2. Infrageneric relationships and reclassification to achieve monophyly of Orchis sensu stricto. In: Lindleyana. 12 1997, pp. 113-141.
- RM Bateman, PM Hollingsworth, J. Preston, Y.-B. Luo, AM Pridgeon, MW Chase: Molecular phylogenetics and evolution of Orchidinae and selected habenariinae (Orchidaceae). In: Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 142 2003, pp. 1-40.
Individual evidence
- ^ Helmut Baumann , Siegfried Künkele and Richard Lorenz: Orchids in Europe with adjacent areas . Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart, 2006. ISBN 978-3-8001-4162-3 . Page 219.
Web links
Wikispecies: Italian orchid ( Orchis italica ) - species directory- Distribution maps
- Regional / special
- See also