Ophrys melitensis

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Ophrys melitensis
Systematics
Family : Orchids (orchidaceae)
Subfamily : Orchidoideae
Tribe : Orchideae
Sub tribus : Orchidinae
Genre : Ragwurzen ( Ophrys )
Type : Ophrys melitensis
Scientific name
Ophrys melitensis
( Salk. ) Devillers-Tersch. & Devillers

Ophrys melitensis (Salk.) Devillers-Tersch. & Devillers , German and Maltese orchid called, is a plant from the family of orchids (Orchidaceae). A synonym is Ophrys sphegodes subsp. melitensis Salk. The species isnativeto Malta only.

description

Ophrys melitensis is a perennial, growing from a tuber and reaches a height of 15 to 25 centimeters. The sepals are protruding, green, sometimes brownish in the lower half. The petals are olive green to brownish red and have wavy edges. The shape and color of the labellum are variable and can have different, light blue-metallic drawings, usually in the form of a downwardly open horseshoe or a vertical equality sign. Occasionally this drawing is also missing. However, there is always a small appendage in front.

distribution

Ophrys melitensis is native to Malta only , where it inhabits garigue , rocky steppes and meadows. The species is rare. It thrives at altitudes between 25 and 215 meters above sea level.

ecology

The flowering period is late February to early April. Chalicodoma sicula was observed as a pollinator .

Systematics and botanical history

The species was first described in 1992 by Hans-Erich Salkowski as a subspecies of the Great Spider-Ragwurz ( Ophrys sphegodes ), already two years later Jean Devillers-Terschuren and Pierre Devillers presented it as a separate species. Other authors see the Maltese plants as hybrids between the Great Spider Ragwort and Bertolonis Ragwort ( Ophrys bertolonii ) and thus as part of the hybrid complex Ophrys × flavicans .

In the northeast of the island, a single hybrid of Ophrys melitensis and either Ophrys speculum , Ophrys fusca or Ophrys bertolonii has been found.

literature

proof

  1. ↑ a b c Helmut Baumann , Siegfried Künkele and Richard Lorenz: Orchids of Europe with adjacent areas . Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart, 2006. ISBN 978-3-8001-4162-3 . Page 176.
  2. ↑ a b Hans Christian Weber, Bernd Kendzior: Flora of the Maltese Islands - A Field Guide , 2006, ISBN 3-8236-1478-9 , p. 30
  3. ^ Entry on the species in The International Plant Names Index , 2008, online , last accessed on April 14, 2010
  4. ↑ Henrik Ærenlund Pedersen, Niels Faurholdt: Ophrys. The Bee Orchids of Europe . Kew Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-1-84246-152-5 , pp. 223 .
  5. ↑ Rafaël Govaerts (ed.): Ophrys melitensis. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  6. ^ Hans Christian Weber, Bernd Kendzior: Flora of the Maltese Islands - A Field Guide , 2006, ISBN 3-8236-1478-9 , p. 34