Mass population of Dactylorhiza fuchsii f. albiflora

Dactylorhiza fuchsii f. albiflora

In addition to the Irish region of The Burren and the Hesse location of Biebergemuend there is a further location where Dactylorhiza fuchsii tends to white-flowered forms in big numbers: In a birch grove near the village of Wolken in the upper Moselle valley there are several hundred plants with a clear trend to bright and white flowers. A count of a random sample resulted in 13 per cent of white flowers without any markings on the labellum. Further 38 per cent of the plants have a white base colour with pink marks. The differences in flower colours correspond with the results found in the other two regions and are even a little bit more accentuated. These results may give further evidence to the assumption that Dactylorhiza fuchsii is in the midst of an evolutionary process which also changes the phenotype of the species.

Percentages of flower colours in different locations
different locations of Dactylorhiza fuchsii

The following tableau shows the wide range of fuchsii flowers found on that location. The brightest forms also lack the Anthocyanine pigments in the pollinaria as the lowest row of examples and the following macro photo demonstrate.
Dactylorhiza fuchsii

Dactylorhiza fuchsii f. albiflora

The only other orchids in the forest are Platanthera chlorantha and an Epipactis spec. – while in the other two locations with abundant albiflora forms of Dactylorhiza fuchsii there are also the earlier flowering Orchis mascula (Burren) and Dactylorhiza majalis (Biebergemuend), both flowering in pink and both – as well as Dactylorhiza fuchsii – trying to attract pollinators with nectar deception. Among other plants in the birch forest, a former gravel-pit and now a nature reserve called “Kuhstiebel”, are Orthilia secunda, Fragaria vesca and Tussilago farfara. But the dominating plant there as well as in a nearby marsh area is Dactylorhiza fuchsii with mostly spotted leaves – even in the case of the white-flowered plants: Dactylorhiza fuchsii f. albiflora

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.