Pyramidal orchid

Pyramidal Orchid
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Monocots Order: Asparagales Family: Orchidaceae Subfamily: Orchidoideae Genus: Anacamptis Species: A. pyramidalis
Binomial name
Anacamptis pyramidalis (L.) Rich.

The Pyramidal Orchid, Anacamptis pyramidalis, is an orchid native to southwestern Eurasia, from western Europe through the Mediterranean region eastwards to Iran. In Germany, it is rare and was declared Orchid of the Year in 1990 to heighten awareness of this plant.

Charles Darwin's book Fertilisation of Orchids included an illustration of the head of a moth with its proboscis laden with several pairs of pollinia from the Pyramidal orchid, Orchis pyramidalis.

This hardy perennial plant grows to a height of 30 cm. The colour of the flower varies from pink to purple, or rarely white, and the scent is described as "foxy". The arrangement of hermaphroditic flowers in a compact pyramidal shape is very distinctive and gives the orchid its common name. The flowers are pollinated by butterflies and moths. The mechanism by which its pairs of pollinia attach themselves to an insect's proboscis was discovered by Charles Darwin and described in his book on the Fertilisation of Orchids.^[1] This orchid requires a sunny spot on diverse soils: loamy or clay, rarely on sandy soils. It can even grow on very alkaline soil.

The dried and ground tuber gives a fine white powder, called salep. This is a very nutritious sweet starchlike substance. It is used in drinks, cereals and in making bread. It is also used medicinally in diets for children and convalescents.

There are some notable varieties, which are sometimes treated as subspecies – and as they seem to be limited to certain regions, this may be correct:

• Anacamptis pyramidalis var. tanayensis (Chenevard) Soó in Keller – Tanay Pyramidal Orchid.

Flowers darker and smaller. Fribourg and Valais cantons (Switzerland).

• Anacamptis pyramidalis var. urvilleana (Sommier & Caruana) Kreutz – Maltese Pyramidal Orchid

Malta.

• Anacamptis pyramidalis var. sanguinea (Druce) Kreutz – Western Irish Pyramidal Orchid.

Inflorescence rounder, plant smaller overall. County Galway to County Kerry (Ireland)

The variety alba can be found anywhere in the Pyramid Orchid's range; its flowers are white.

References

• Darwin, Charles (1862), On the various contrivances by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing, London: John Murray, http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?viewtype=text&itemID=F800&pageseq=1, retrieved 2009-07-30 

External links

• Comprehensive profile for Anacamptis pyramidalis from the website MaltaWildPlants.com

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Anacamptis pyramidalis

v • d • e Orchid of the Year in Germany Western marsh orchid (1989) | Pyramidal orchid (1990) | Green-winged Orchid (1991) | Listera ovata (1992) | Military Orchid (1993) | Fen orchid (1994) | Bee Orchid (1995) | Cypripedium calceolus (1996) | Bug Orchid (1997) | Marsh Helleborine (1998) | Lizard Orchid (1999) | Red Helleborine (2000) | Autumn Ladies'-tresses (2001) | Bird's-nest Orchid (2002) | Fly Orchid (2003) | Frog Orchid (2004) | Burnt orchid (2005) | Broadleaf Helleborine (2006) | Nigritella nigra rhellicani (2007)