Orchis patens is a species of orchid found from the central Mediterranean to northwestern Africa.
| Orchis patens | |
|---|---|
| |
| Flower of Orchis patens | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
| Genus: | Orchis |
| Species: | O. patens
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| Binomial name | |
| Orchis patens | |
Description
editIt is a bulbous geophytic herbaceous plant, with a stem from 20 to 50 cm high, green in color, turning towards the purplish brown in the upper part.
The basal leaves, from 3 to 7, are united in a rosette and lanceolate, up to 20 cm long, sometimes light-brown spotted; those cauline, from 1 to 3, are smaller and sheath the stem; the narrow bracts are purplish-red in color.
The pink to lilac flowers are gathered in dense, roughly cylindrical inflorescences. The concave lateral sepals have a central greenish area spotted with purple; the median sepal is folded like a helmet on the petals, which are also greenish in the center. The labellum is trilobed, purplish pink with a lighter area at the base, with a 10–14 mm long dotted median lobe, with a roughly indented margin. The spur is conical, horizontal with a slightly descending apex, 6–8 mm long.
It flowers between April and May.
The seed shape is clavate with short basal and apical cells, while the medial cells are elongated. The pericline walls are smooth, as the ornaments are absent, and the anticline walls are sinuous / wavy. The number of cells along the longitudinal axis is between five and eight (usually seven). The average length of the seeds is about 400 μm.[1]
Biology
editThe germination of Orchis patens seeds has been shown to be induced by the interaction with the mycorrhizal fungus Tulasnella helicospora.[2]
The chromosome number of Orchis patens is 2n = 84.
Distribution and habitats
editIt has a very fragmented range that includes North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and Italy, where it is currently present only in eastern Liguria; in the past it was also observed in Sicily near Palermo (described by Vincenzo Tineo as Orchis panormitana) but the latter could be an incorrect identification. Recently, a genetic study on Mediterranean populations has highlighted a significant genetic difference between the African population (originally described by Desfontaines in 1799) and the Italian population which can be considered a different subspecies,[3] Orchis patens subsp. brevicornis[4]
It grows preferentially on acid soils, in olive groves, chestnut and oak clearings, meadows, along the edges of cultivated land, in full light or in semi-shade, from sea level up to 1500 m of altitude.
Conservation
editDue to its narrow range, the Mediterranean IUCN Red List classifies Orchis patens as "Vulnerable".[5]
The species was chosen as the flagship species for the LIFEorchids conservation project co-financed by the LIFE programme of the European Union.[6]
References
edit
- ^ Calevo, Jacopo; Giovannini, Annalisa; Cornara, Laura; Peccenini, Simonetta; Monroy, Fernando (2017-09-03). "Orchis patens Desf.: seed morphology of an endangered Mediterranean orchid". Plant Biosystems. 151 (5): 770–774. doi:10.1080/11263504.2017.1297335. ISSN 1126-3504. S2CID 89904111.
- ^ Calevo, Jacopo; Voyron, Samuele; Ercole, Enrico; Girlanda, Mariangela (July 2020). "Is the Distribution of Two Rare Orchis Sister Species Limited by Their Main Mycobiont?". Diversity. 12 (7): 262. doi:10.3390/d12070262. hdl:2318/1769042. ISSN 1424-2818.
- ^ Calevo, Jacopo; Gargiulo, Roberta; Bersweden, Leif; Viruel, Juan; González-Montelongo, Cristina; Rebbas, Khellaf; Boutabia, Lamia; Fay, Michael F. (2021-04-01). "Molecular evidence of species- and subspecies-level distinctions in the rare Orchis patens s.l. and implications for conservation". Biodiversity and Conservation. 30 (5): 1293–1314. doi:10.1007/s10531-021-02142-6. ISSN 1572-9710. S2CID 233951980.
- ^ Calevo, Jacopo; Christenhusz, Maarten J. M.; Fay, Michael F. (2023-04-18). "A taxonomic overview of Orchis sect. Robustocalcare (Orchidaceae)". Phytotaxa. 592 (2): 157–162. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.592.2.10. ISSN 1179-3163.
- ^ IUCN (2018-01-14). "Orchis patens: Calevo, J., Montagnani, C. & Véla, E.: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T175961A84665334". doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2018-2.rlts.t175961a84665334.en.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "LifeOrchids- Ripristino delle praterie e reintroduzione delle orchidee in aree selezionate". LifeOrchids (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-09-07.
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