Ophrys mammosa - (Orchidaceae)

Ophrys mammosa is variously ascribed to either the Ophrys spegodes group (Early Spider Orchid) or the Ophrys mammosa group - or to both! It is most often found in the Eastern Mediterranean; it occurs in Cyprus, Crete and Rhodes and other countries as far east as Israel and to the north in Bulgaria. The group consists of orchids with an undivided lip.

Ophrys mammosa

Picture by kind permission of Anne Horsfall

This plant flowers later than the other related species - from the end of March until the end of April. It can grow quite tall - up to 70cm in height - and carries between five and 12 flowers. Its habitat is garrigue, scrubland, poor grassland and open woodland, and it tolerates both full sun and light shade in soil that can be either moist or quite dry.

The specimen shown on this page was photographed in Crete.