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Orchis coriophora - Bug Orchid
Bug Orchid in a meadow in the foothills of the Rhodopi Mountains, Bulgaria The common name of this orchid apparently refers to the somewhat unpleasant smell of the flowers, and its distribution is questionable due to its frequent confusion with another very similar orchid, Orchis fragrans. The Bug orchid grows in damp meadows and other fairly wet places in full sunshine. It is now rather rare and localised and is in serious decline due to habitat destruction. The plants cangrowsup to 60 cm in height with dense flower-heads of deep wine-red flowers that have dark red spots on the lips, which are much paler in the centre.
A fully open flower spike of Orchis coriophora Orchis coriophora occurs in the Balkans and throughout much of central and southern Europe. It can be found in Bulgaria, Greece, Russia, Romania, Germany and several other central European countries. The specimen above was photographed in the Rhodopi Mountains in Bulgaria in mid June. |
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