Ophrys episcopalis

Ophrys episcopalis
Photo: Reiner Merkel, 12/04/2014, near Agios Vasilios, Crete

Late Spider Orchid

Ophrys episcopalis is a slender plant with a height of 10 to 40 cm. It has a rosette of 2 to 6 leaves of a bluish-green colour. The loose inflorescence develops 4 to 10 flowers with spreading sepals and small petals. The broad labellum has prominent protuberances and a prominent appendage.

Ophrys episcopalis
Photo: Reiner Merkel, 12/04/2014, near Agios Vasilios, Crete

Taxonomic discussion

The first scientific description was written by the French botanist Jean Louis Marie Poiret (1755-1834) in Encyclopédie Méthodique. Botanique … Supplément 4 (1816). Today, most botanists view it as a subspecies to Ophrys holoserica with different taxa: Ophrys holoserica subsp. episcopalis (Kreutz 2004) or Ophrys holoserica subsp. maxima (Greuter 1967)

Hypochrome form

In general, the flowers of Ophrys episcopalis are vividly coloured. The sepals can be white, pink or purple. The petals are slightly darker. The labellum is brown and has a characteristic pattern. In the rare case of reduced or missing colour pigments, the flowers have a yellowish or light-green labellum.

Habitat, bloom and distribution

Ophrys episcopalis grows on dry grassland, it needs calcarious soil. Bloom is from April to May. The species can be found on the Greek islands, in Turkey and the Middle East