Serapias vomeracea

Common Name - The Plow-Share Serapias - The Long Lipped Serapias

The flowers of Serapias orchids have been discovered to use another interesting strategy for attracting insect pollinators -the pronouncedly dark insides of the flowers serve as a cozy ''cave'' enticing certain insect species to spend the night .In the process ,the careless guests are used as distributors of the pollen stuck to their little bodies !

Serapias vomeracea has a pair of ball-shaped tubers stored underground ;in March ,these tubers give rise to a few elongated ,glossy green or reddish leaves and a stalk reaching a length of up to 24 in/60 cm .The upper part of the stalk ranges in color between pink and purple -and-red. The function of an inflorescence is served by a sparse raceme bearing 3-10 relatively large flowers , highly variable in color and shape .Botanists distinguish between several independent subspecies of this orchid ,according to the size and shpe of the lip . Robust scales procting the base of the flowers are ,as with the helmets, colored in attractive ,glossy pinkish shades with a markedly embossed red lengthwise venation.The middle lobe of the lip is lanceolate on the end ,up to 1.1 in/2.8 cm long and often inverted .Its color ranges between brick red and brownish purple .Serapias vomeracea inhabits well lighted and warm localities including the macchia,light oak forests ,olive groves and damp meadows .It blooms between March and June. Serapiasvomeracea is a highly variable species widespread in the foam of at least 3 subspecies in the vast Mediterranean area .The southern foothills of the Alps represent the northernmost border of its natural habitat .

Synonyms

Helleborine longipetala Ten. 1811; Helleborine pseudocordigera Sebast. 1813; Lonchitis longipetala Bubani 1901; Orchis lingua All., Fl. Pedem. 2: 148 (1785; *Orchis vomeracea Burm. f. 1770; Serapias cordigera subsp. vomeracea (Burm.f.) H.Sund. 1980; Serapias hellenica Renz; Serapias hirsuta Lapeyr. 1813; Serapias lancifera St.-Amans 1821; Serapias longipetala (Ten.) Pollini 1824; *Serapias parviflora subsp. laxiflora So?; Serapias pseudocordigera (Sebast.) Moric. 1820; Serapias vomeracea subsp. flava Balayer 1986; Serapias vomeracea subsp. longipetala (Ten.) H.Baumann & K?nkele, Mitt 1989; Serapias vomeracea var. cordigeroides (E.Nelson) N.R.Campb. & A.K.Campb. 1986 ; Serapiastrum longipetalum (Ten.) A.A.Eaton 1908; Serapiastrum vomeraceum (Burm.f.) Schinz & Thell. 1913