Orchis pauciflora Sparsely-flowering Orchid
This can be confused with Orchis provincialis which has very pale yellow flowers of similar shape but spotted leaves. For all that it has only a few florets per stem this is a very pretty plant especially to a botanist from the British Isles used to seeing various shades of purple in most orchids.
Taxonomy: This is another species where there is a divergence of opinion. Experts like Delforge plus the World Checklist say the correct, accepted name for this species is Orchis pauciflora Ten. but Kew and Catalogue of Life say it is a sub species of Orchis provincialis Balb.: Orchis provincialis ssp pauciflora (Ten.) E.G. Camus.
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| Orchis pauciflora Floret |
LHS: Rocky hillside near Omalos Plateau RHS: Omalos Plateau 7th April 2007
Added on 25th June 2007, updated 27th January 2010, updated 21st January 2011