Orchis pallens

Orchis pallens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Subfamily:	Orchidoideae
Genus:	Orchis
Species:	O. pallens
Binomial name
Orchis pallens L.
Synonyms
Androrchis pallens (L.) D.Tyteca & E.Klein Orchis pallens f. pseudopallens Rchb.f. Orchis pseudopallens K.Koch [Illegitimate] Orchis sulphurea Sims

Orchis pallens, the pale orchid or pale-flowered orchid, is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the genus Orchis of the family Orchidaceae. It is found in Europe ranging from to the Caucasus.

Description

Quick Characteristics: Height: 30–45 cm (1.0–1.5 ft) Flower Colors: yellow Flower Season: mid spring to late spring Life form: tuber

Orchis pallens L. is one of the few yellow-flowered terrestrial Orchids of Europe, flowering mid- to late spring as one of the first orchids in the northern part of it's area, The pale yellow flowers with an unspotted, somewhat darker lip contain no nectar.

Haller observed that the flower smells like the urine of cats. root leaves 2 inches wide, stem naked, spike thin and few flowered, bracts yellow bulbs are round and unequal, stem 8 inches high,

The pale-flowered orchid (Orchis pallens L.; subg. Masculae, sect. Provinciales) is one of the few yellow-flowering species within the genus Orchis (BUTTLER 1986: 120-123). This peculiar feature makes it easily recognisable, at least during the flowering time. It differs from the other yellow-flowering members of the sect. Provinciales (O. provincialis, O. pauciflora, and O. laeta) by the absence of any markings on its flower lip, whereas the lip of the latter species is red-dotted (BUTTLER 1986: 244). In Central Europe, O. pallens is sometimes confused with yellow-flowering form of Dactylorhiza sambucina, however, the two species can be readily distinguished by a number of morphological features (KERSCHBAUMSTEINER1994: 10-11). In O. pallens, leaves are arranged in basal rosette, bracts are only as long as ovary, and spur is curved upwards. In D. sambucina, leaves are distributed along the stem, at least the lowest bracts exceed the flowers, and spur is curved downwards.

Belonging to Orchis mascula group, this mountain orchid shows bright and not spotted leaves.

Orchis pallens flowers are yellow, the lip does not bear any spots. The headflower exhale a fragrance similar to elder tree flowers.

Flowering season from April to May sometimes June.

In terms of identification, it can be readily distinguished from the similarly coloured O. pauciflora and O. provincialis by virtue of the total lack of lip markings. ,dating from the middle of May. A further key characteristic is the unspotted leaves, which are large, shiny and form a low-spreading rosette. Another orchid which often grows alongside O. pallens and bears a close resemblance is the yellow flowered form of Dactylorhiza sambucina though this can be readily differentiated by the presence of bracts which protrude through the inflorescence. There has been significant study in recent years to establish the relationship between the two species, results to date however suggest that there is no scientific link despite the obvious morphological similarities.

Taxonomy

Orchis pallens (described as Orchis sulphurea) in Curtis 52 on plate 2569 (Illustrated in 1825)

It is commonly known as the pale orchid or the pale flowered orchid.

The scientific name Orchis derives from Ancient Greek ὄρχις orchis, meaning "testicle", from the appearance of the paired subterranean 'tuberoids', while the Latin name pallens refers to the pale colour of the inflorescence.

It was first described and published by Carl Linnaeus in his book Mantissa Plantarum Altera Vol.2 on page 292 in 1771.

It was last listed in the RHS Plant Finder in 2011.

In 1986, the European orchids Orchis mascula, O. pallens and their hybrids were analysed by enzyme electrophoresis on starch gels, this a form of species identification using differing parental alleles.

Distribution and habitat

The distribution area of O. pallens extends from the northern part of Iberian peninsula across Southern and Central Europe to Crimea, Turkey, Caucasus and Talysh (AVERYANOV 2006: 95; BAUMANN & KÜNKELE 1982: 324;BUTTLER 1986: 120; WORLD CHECKLIST OF SELECTED PLANT FAMILIES 2010). It reaches the northern limit of its distribution in Germany and Poland. The species is also known from Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Austria, Hungary and Romania, but it is uncommon and occurs sporadically almost everywhere in Central Europe.

Habitat

2,300 to 4,300 m (7,500 to 14,100 ft) above sea level.

O. pallens is largely, though not quite exclusively, a montane species and may be found growing up to around 2500m on predominantly calcareous soils and more often than not, in the light shade of woodland edges, either deciduous or coniferous.

Found on lime rich soils. It prefers open forests or not too dry meadows on shell lime. which spreads from northern Spain throughout the Alps, German Mittelgebirge, northern Italy and the Balkans to parts of the Turkish north coast. It prefers open forests or not too dry meadows on shell lime.

O. pallens occurs within a broad altitudinal range, from lower montane level to approximately 1700 m asl in Central Europe and to approximately 2400 m asl in Turkey (RENZ & TAUBENHEIM 1984: 530). In Central Europe, its preferred habitats at lower altitudes are beech forests on calcareous soils. It also occurs in mixed hornbeam-linden or oak-hornbeam forests, or among shrub thickets (BERNACKI et al. 2008: 483-485; PRESSER 2000; SCHNEIDER et al. 2011). O. pallens prefers half-shadowed localities, often at woodland edges. It usually avoids deep shadow, and overgrowth of suitable habitats presents one of the threats to the existing populations. At higher altitudes (above 1000 m asl), the species predominantly occurs in open meadows.

The range of O. pallens is sizable and encompasses most significant mountain ranges in Europe, being nowhere common and in most areas extremely rare. The photos are from the Vercors of southern France and the mountains of northern Greece

two new localities of Orchis pallens in the Chełm mesoregion (Silesian Upland, S Poland), found in 2014 in the vicinity of Ligota Dolna and Oleszka villages in Opole Province. The species occurs in overgrowing xerothermic grassland communities (with Koelerio-Festucetum rupicolae, Origano-Brachypodietum pinnati, Origano-Vincetoxicetum hirundinariae). The populations consisted of 4 flowering individuals in Oleszka and 49 (34 flowering) in Ligota Dolna, with slight seasonal fluctuation. The main threats to the newly found localities of Orchis pallens are succession processes in xerothermic grassland communities.Folcik, Łukasz; Urbisz, Andrzej (2020). "New localities of Orchis pallens (Orchidaceae) in the Silesian Upland". Fragm. Flor. et Geobot. Pol. XXVII (2): 739–742.</ref>

Conservation

Due to the decline of its natural populations, O. pallens has been protected by law in many European countries (AVERYANOV 2008: 401-402; ELIÁŠ et al. 2015; GRULICH 2012; KIRÁLY 2007; LUDWIG &SCHNITTLER, 1996; MOSER et al. 2002; PROTOPOPOVA 2009: 205; Z$-Ą& &FIODOR 2014: 783-786).

In southern Poland, active nature protection is employing measures such as mowing or shrub removal.

Ecology

Even though the plant does not produce nectar, the flowers are pollinated by bees, who mistakenly land on the plant when looking for the spring pea (Lathyrus vernus) which does produce nectar.

Culture

It was named Orchid of the Year in 2012 by the 'Arbeitskreis Heimische Orchideen' (AHO, Native Orchid Research Group), a German orchid conservation federation.

Gallery

Close-up of the flowers

External links

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