Round-headed Orchid
Traunsteinera globosa is a slender plant with a height of 45 to 75 cm. The 5 to 8 leaves are lanceolate and erect. The ball-shaped inflorescence consists of 25 to 100 flowers, tightly arranged, with a bract as long as the ovary. The spur is bent downwards. Petals and the middle sepals end in marked lobes. The labellum is three-lobed.
Taxonomic discussion
In 1759, Linné described this plant as Orchis globosa. Outlining the striking differences compared with other Orchis species, the German botanist Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach (1823-1889) defined a new genus Traunsteinera in 1842, thus honouring the Austrian botanist Joseph Traunsteiner.
White colour of flowers
Traunsteinera globosa shows almost no variability. The flowers are rose, with purplish spots on the labellum. Pierre Delforge (Guide des orchidées d’Europe) mentions that white flowers are very rare.
Habitat, bloom and distribution
Traunsteinera globosa can be found in the European mountains on dry or wet grasslands, up to 2700 m. Bloom is from June to August.
