Epipactis purpurata - Violet Helleborine - (Orchidaceae)

Epipactis purpurata - Violet Helleborine

The beautiful pink-suffused fower illustrated here is a rare variety (Var. rosea) containing no cholorphyll. The flowers are more commonly bright green with pinkish lips. It is the violet tint of the leaves and stems which gives this orchid its common name.

Growing to around 40 cm typically, the Violet Helleborine can sometimes be as much as one metre in height. It grows in shaded woodlands (especially Beech) and sometimes in conifer plantations. It likes deep, slightly moist soils.

The specimen above was photographed in Surrey in July but the Violet Helleborine can also be found throughout the UK and in the temperate zone of west and central Europe.