Anacamptis morio Green-winged Orchid C DD N
The green "wings" of Anacamptis morio aren't always obvious but in a few of the plants you can usually see at least hint of green even when the rich purple dominates the flower. You have to look carefully on a site where Anacamptis morio grows along side the variable Orchis mascula (Early-purple Orchid) which can be similarly coloured although normally a lot taller.
The right hand photo was taken in an area where the plants are too often mowed by enthusiastic green-keepers but this year the orchids flowered early before the scheduled mowing. Most plants had only faint green wings but this one was true to its English name.
Taxonomy: Most of the major databases follow Professor Bateman's re-assessment of the name of this Orchid in the change from Orchis morio L. to Anacamptis morio (L.) R.M.Bateman, Pridgeon & M.W.Chase as the accepted correct name. Major exceptions (in 2010) to this include Pierre Delforge's Orchids of europe North Africa and the Middle East and both the BSBI 2007 list plus Kent's list and supplements all of which still refer to this taxon as Orchis morio L.
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| Anacamptis morio whole | Anacamptis morio floret |
(LHS) Cors Goch, Anglesey, 11th May 2005; (RHS) Great Orme 26th April 2007
Added on 11th May 2005, Great Orme flower on 27th April 2007, updated 21st January 2010, updated 26th Feb 2010, updated 7th August 2018