Butterfly Orchid
Slender plant with a height of 15 to 30 cm and 3 to 8 foliage leaves which are are rather small, lanceolate and unspotted. The loose inflorescence consists of 2 to 15 flowers, each one supported by a broad and long bract. The spur is directed downwards. Petals and all sepals form a loose hood, but the sepals can also be spreaded. The labellum is almost undivided, ovate and often marked with fine lines.
Taxonomic discussion
The species was named Orchis papilionacea by Linné (1759). In 1997, Richard Bateman, Alec Pridgeon and Mark Chase transferred the species to the genus anacamptis as a result of molecular studies. The exact name is Anacamptis papilionacea subsp. papilionacea.
White colour of flowers
The colours of the flower range from bright pink to red and dark crimson. There are white forms with pink veins in petals and sepals as well as albino forms with green veins.
Habitat, bloom and distribution
Anacamptis papilionacea is growing in grasslands and bright woods, up to 1800 m. Bloom is from February to May. The species is distributed in Italy, the Southern Balkan and Greece.