Gymnadenia rubra
This is another species in the complex group which we once knew as Black Vanilla Orchid (Nigritella sp) and G. rubra is quite distinctly a pinkish-red rather than the very dark almost blackish red of Gymnadenia rhellicani.
Nevertheless the species seem to intergrade and at first we were not convinced that there were two species present - just different colour forms. Careful dissection of the small petals revealed the differences described in some texts but botanists need to remain sceptical when related species grow together as G. rhellicani and G. rubra do in this part of Switzerland.
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| Gymnadenia rubra |
Val de Fain, Engadine. Switzerland, 6th July 2010
Added on 4th November 2010