Common Spotted Orchid
I have posted a number of rare orchids recently but this Common Spotted Orchid is also rather special as it grows in my lawn. This photo shows the typical elongated pyramidal flower head with a whitish ground colour and short bracts. But the individual flower shape is also highly distinctive as it has three long, splaying teeth on the lower lip that reminds me of an inverted fleur de lis. In my area they often hybridise with Marsh Orchids but this individual seems to be a pure-bred Common Spotted. It is found pretty much throughout the British Isles and is one of our commonest orchid species. Its scientific name is Dactylorhiza fuchsii. Dactylorhiza means finger root because the underground tubers are elongated like fingers. Incidentally many orchids have two egg-shaped tubers and the name "orchid" actually means testicle. The name fuchsii commemorates Leonhart Fuchs (1501-66), a German physician and botanist who wrote a herbal, a book about plants and their medicinal uses. The popular flowering garden shrub Fuchsia is also named after him.
Common Spotted Orchid
I have posted a number of rare orchids recently but this Common Spotted Orchid is also rather special as it grows in my lawn. This photo shows the typical elongated pyramidal flower head with a whitish ground colour and short bracts. But the individual flower shape is also highly distinctive as it has three long, splaying teeth on the lower lip that reminds me of an inverted fleur de lis. In my area they often hybridise with Marsh Orchids but this individual seems to be a pure-bred Common Spotted. It is found pretty much throughout the British Isles and is one of our commonest orchid species. Its scientific name is Dactylorhiza fuchsii. Dactylorhiza means finger root because the underground tubers are elongated like fingers. Incidentally many orchids have two egg-shaped tubers and the name "orchid" actually means testicle. The name fuchsii commemorates Leonhart Fuchs (1501-66), a German physician and botanist who wrote a herbal, a book about plants and their medicinal uses. The popular flowering garden shrub Fuchsia is also named after him.