Chamorchis alpina - (Orchidaceae)

This tiny orchid is difficult to spot, even when it occurs in colonies of many hundreds. Only growing to a height of 10cm at best, the flowers are green and sometimes washed with brown - only adding to the problems with its visibility. The large colonies are due to the plant's ability to spread by vegetative means via root tubers, but it is also pollinated by very small insects.

Chamorchis Alpina

Picture by kind permission of Anne Horsfall

The leaves of the plant are pale green and narrow, closely resembling grass.

It grows in the mountains of Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France as well as several other European countries including Slovenia, where it occurs above the tree-line up to 2,700m above sea level. It can also be found in Scandinavia, including Finland, and in Russia up as far as the Kola Peninsula, but in those far northern climes it grows at much lower altitudes as well as up in the mountains.

Chamorchis alpina flowers from the beginning of July to the end of August. As well as being one of the latest orchids to flower in Europe, this is also the smallest of the European orchids. Although occuring in some locations in large numbers, this orchid is very localised and rare. The picture on this page was taken in the Dolomites, in Italy.