Dactylorhiza fuchsii subsp. okellyi - O'Kelly's Spotted-orchid
Phylum: Magnoliophyta - Class: Liliopsida - Order: Orchidales - Family: Orchidaceae
Dr Patrick Bernard O'Kelly, after whom this orchid was named, lived in The Burren and devoted much of his time to the study of the wildflowers growing there. After his death in 1937 he was buried in the graveyard at Dumcreedy Church, near Ballyvaughan.
This controversial orchid is treated as a separate species by some botanists and by others as an indeterminate variety of Common Spotted-orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsii.
O'Kelly's Spotted-orchid is common throughout The Burren and reaches its peak flowering time in June and early July
Description
O'Kelly's Orchid usually grows to between 20 and 50 cm in height, buttaller specimens sometimes occur. The leaves are narrower than those of Common Spotted-orchid and they are not marked.
The flowers O'Kelly's Spotted-orchid are often completely white, although some have faint pink markings.
Distrbution
Although mainly associated with The Burren, this orchid occurs in several other counties of Ireland including Galway and Fermanagh as well as in Scotland and on the Isle of Man.
Habitat
O'Kelly's Spotted-orchid (also referred to simply as O'Kelly's Orchid) grows in the unimproved limestone meadows of The Burren, but it sometimes ventures into marshier areas there too.
Flowering times
Dactylorhiza fuchsii subsp. okellyi flowers in May and June.
Etymology
The genus name Dactylorhiza means 'finger-like roots', while the specific epithet fuchsii honours the German botanist Leonhart Fuchs (1501 - 1566). The subspecies name okellyi honours botanist Dr Patrick Bernard O'Kelly (187* - 1937) - precise date of birth uncertain.
Reference sources
The Plant List
Anne and Simon Harrap (2005) Orchids of Britain and Ireland; A&C Black
Pierre Delforge (2005) Orchids of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East; A&C Black
Sue Parker's latest ebook is a revised and enlarged edition of Wild Orchids in The Burren. Full details here...
Buy it for just £5.95 on Amazon...
Sue Parker's new ebook is a comprehensive and fully revised edition of her acclaimed field guide to the Wild Orchids of Wales. Full details here...
Buy it for just £5.95 on Amazon...
Sue Parker's 5-star acclaimed field guide to the Wild Orchids of the Algarve is now available as an ebook. Full details here...
Buy it for just £5.95 on Amazon...
Please Help Us: If you have found this information interesting and useful, please consider helping to keep First Nature online by making a small donation towards the web hosting and internet costs.
Any donations over and above the essential running costs will help support the conservation work of Plantlife, the Rivers Trust and charitable botanic gardens - as do author royalties and publisher proceeds from books by Pat and Sue.