Orchis pallens

Orchis pallens
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
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.

April to May.

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.

perennial herb with two oval tubers, 15-40cm tall, it blooms yellow, the petals form an incomplete helmet, the lip is slightly trilobal, wider, slightly convex and longer than the other petals. it is the least variable of the genus. It blooms from the end of April.

Orchid pale (Orchis pallens) Tubers 3-3,5 cm length, 1,5-2 cm in diameter, jajowate, roots numerous, about 10-20 cm length. Momentum 15-40 cm h., strong, straight, green. Leaves usually 4-6, length. 6-15 cm, 1,5-5 cm times., inverse to lanceolate, blunt, smooth, shimmering, green, 3-4 collected in a rosette at the root, 1 it tearfully covers the inflorescence. Inflorescence 4-10 cm length, gestures, ovoid, multiflorous. Medium-sized flowers, lateral outer petals strongly bent back, pleasantly, delicately fragrant. Hypophysis 15-25 mm length, long-wadded, spicy, slightly longer than the ovary, pale yellow. Ovary 10-15 mm length, narrow, arched, twisted, green.

Warżka 6-16 mm length, 7-16 mm width, slightly arched in the center, edges rolled up, 3-patch, yellow-greenish, more intensely colored at the entrance to the spur; large middle patch, lingual, blunt or even indented; side patches the size of a middle patch, rhomboid or ovoid, blunt. Ostroga 12-15 mm length, straight or curved upwards, dorsi flattened, slightly expanded towards the top, blunt or slightly indented at the end, yellow-white. Upper outer petal 8-10 mm length, 6-8 mm width, almost elliptical, blunt, pale yellow. Lateral outer petals of similar size, slightly narrower, asymmetric, blunt, pale yellow. Lateral inner petals 6-8 mm length, 4 mm width, jajowatolancetowa-te, strongly asymmetrical, spicy, pale yellow. Pale green column. Fruit approx. 15-20 mm length, a bit bloated. The pale orchid is known only from the southern part of Poland. Its overall range is also quite limited – it occurs in the mountains and highlands of southern and central Europe and in Asia Minor. It grows in beech and pine forests, on their outskirts and in clearings, and also in the bushes, on calcareous soils, quite fertile, about neutral reaction. It blooms from late April to late May.

Biochemistry

Diploidy results from the basic chromosome number of the genus Orchis of x = 20.

Similar to Dactylorhiza sambucina and Orchis spitzelii, O. pllens has a chromosome count of 2n = 42/40.

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.

It has hybridized with other orchids, such as with Orchis mascula subsp. speciosa creating Orchis × loreziana nothosubsp. kisslingii, (Beck) Potucek 1976, (Kew accepted).

Distribution and habitat

Orchis × loreziana hybrid orchid (parents Orchis mascula × Orchis pallens)

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.

Albania; Austria; Bulgaria; Croatia; Czechia; France (France (mainland), Corsica); Germany; Greece (Greece (mainland)); Hungary; Italy (Italy (mainland)); Poland; Romania; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain (Spain (mainland)); Switzerland; Ukraine

Range

range - species is widespread almost through out Europe, in southern Europe it grows mainly in mountainous areas. The expansion area extends to Asia Minor. It is missing in Spain, the British Isles and Scandinavia. In Bohemia it is very rare, it grows only in two places (Strakonice and Podkrkonosi). In Moravia, it grows in more places such as (White Carpathians, Vsetin Hills, Beskydy, Chriby and others).

In Romania, it is found in the Baiului Mountains.

It is included on "Carpathian list of endangered species" (Witkowski et al 2003) and in "Red book of vascular plans from Romania" (Dihoru & Negrean 2009).

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.

Habitat - It grows in sparse forests, on the edges of forests and in shrublands. In some places, it grows even on unfertilized slightly moist and rather alkaline meadows. Its occurrence is from the lowlands to the mountains.

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.

Forest, Shrubland, Wetlands (inland), Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks) 0- 2400 asl

Conservation

The populations and their habitats are declining especially in central Europe due to numerous anthropogenic threats including the ceasing of the former coppicing of woods and a decrease in the amount of light reaching the forest floor caused by the natural succession of the woodland. Further threats are posed by lack of rain, late frost, damage by wild animals such as badgers and wild boars, urbanisation and infrastructure expansion, tourism, deforestation, and plant collection (Bournérias and Prat 2005, Delforge 1995, GIROS 2009, Kretzschmar et al. 2007, Pignatti 1982, Rossi 2002). many sites have been declining rapidly especially in central Europe

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).

It is on the Carpathian Red List of Endangered Species (covering Slovakia and Romania).

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

It is a highly endangered species in Czech, it is protected by law, and it is also covered by the protection of the internal CITES convention.

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

Other sources

• 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
• Robert L. Dressler: The orchids - biology and systematics of the Orchidaceae (original title: The Orchids. Natural History and Classification. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass. Et al. 1981). Translated by Guido J. Braem with the assistance of Marion Zerbst. Bechtermünz, Augsburg 1996, ISBN 3-86047-413-8
• 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