Habitat: Eftalou.

Anacamptis pyramidalis, Eftalou © JvL 8-05-10 #079

Anacamptis pyramidalis (L.) L.C.M. Richard (De Orchid. Eur.) 1753.

HABITAT: In Blog 11 I wrote about Anacamptis pyramidalis: ‘An easy Orchid, no groups around, no complications about names whatsoever, just simply red, pink and white flowers.’ And then I found Ophrys phrygia in Eftalou (see Blog 11: Oh Yes, It Is!’ http://www.janvanlent.com/blog/?p=1012). So now back to the Pyramidal Orchid. Anacamptis pyramidalis is not a difficult to identify orchid, it’s flowering everywhere on Lesvos between the end of April and the beginning of June. But I also already found (between Vatera and Nifida) some small ‘brachystachys’ species at the end of March. The genus Anacamptis is close to Orchis but is distinguished by the 2 ridges at the base of the lip and the single retinacle (viscidium) bearing both pollinia.

Anacamptis pyramidalis ‘nominate form’, Eftalou, © JvL 11-05-12 #032

The colours of the flowers are almost never completely identical: red (sometimes in the south near Megalochori), pink (everywhere on the island) and white (Eftalou, Agiasos, Alifantá). And in Eftalou I found also species with a pink lip and white sepals & petals, so a bicolour version! And not only the colour but also the form of the inflorescence has some differences: round, pyramid or conical. This has often to do with the age of the plant (young: round, middle age: pyramid, older: conical) but there also some described variations of Anacamptis in literature (and in nature) which  always have these characteristics. And last but not least: I found species with a height from 10 centimetres but also from 50 centimetres! So let’s see if I perhaps found in Eftalou a previously undescribed variation.

Anacamptis pyramidalis var. albiflora, Eftalou, © JvL 8-05-10 #050

RESEARCH: Let’s start with ‘the old master’ SUNDERMANN (1980). He has 2 variations: var. albiflora with white flowers and var. tanayensis with dark purple flowers growing in the Alps between 1200 and 1900 meter. Well, Eftalou is certainly not in the Alps and yes, we’ve got here a lot of var. albiflora.
KREUTZ (1998) found in Turkey also a few variations: Anacamptis pyramidalis var. brachystachys (D’Urville) Boissier, with smaller, light coloured flowers and a lax inflorescence and plants which look similar to Anacamptis pyramidalis var. tanayensis Chevenard. Ah, yes similar, because the Alps are not in Turkey… And var. albiflora is also present in Turkey. And let’s see which variations he (KREUTZ 2002) found on Rhodes and Karpathos: ‘Flower coloration of Anacamptis on Rhodes and Karpathos is mainly pink. One can also find a surprising number of white-coloured specimens, as well as all colour variations from yellowish-white to violet-red.’ But Kreutz didn’t give names to those variations in this book.
And in his Cyprus book (KREUTZ 2004) he wrote: ‘Shape and flower colour of the species are variable on Cyrus. One can find plants with pure white, light or deep pink flowers. There are also small and compact plants, where the flowers have fairly wide middle lobes, and slender, relatively tall specimens with narrower middle lobes.’
So there is not much difference between the pyramidalis from Cyprus and from Lesvos I thought. But then he continues: ‘The plants in the Mediterranean region (thus also on Cyprus) are often separated from the nominate species as Anacamptis pyramidalis var. brachystachys (D’Urville) Boissier or as Anacamptis pyramidalis var. urvilleana (Sommier et Gatto) Schlechter. Both varieties differ from the nominate form by a more compact appearance, paler and smaller flowers and a lax inflorescence.  Anacamptis pyramidalis var. urvilleana was described from Malta, and is probably identical to the variety brachystachys. Remarkably, the nominate form also occurs on Malta, but flowers three weeks later than the variety urvilleana. The occurrence of two Anacamptis pyramidalis taxa, which are so dissimilar in appearance, flower shape and flowering time, is so far unknown elsewhere in the southern Mediterranean.’

Earliest: ‘brachystachys’ 27-3-10 #070, ‘nominate’ pyramidalis: 11-5-12 #032, latest:
‘X Anacamptorchis’ Megalochori 3-6-11 #026, © JvL A.pyramidalis on Lesvos.

I’m glad that he wrote ‘southern Mediterranean’ because here in the ‘northern Mediterranean’ in Lesvos, we’ve also got two or more different taxa ‘dissimilar in appearance, flower shape and flowering time’!
DELFORGE (2005): ’(Anacamptis pyramidalis) varies in size, shape of inflorescence and degree of indentation and colour of lip. Several variants have been named which, on account of numerous intergrades, probably have little evolutionary significance.’
But then he described four variations: ‘‘urvilleana’: rather early, with small pale flowers (Malta, Crete, Karpathos); probably inseparable from ‘brachystachys’: inflorescence near globular, rather lax, flowers pale (Mediterranean region, also Portugal); ‘tanayensis’: inflorescence dense, flowers bright red, median lobe of lip prominent, broad and protuberant, spur rather short, frequent above 1300m in the Alps. ‘sanguinea’: a red-flowered morph from Ireland.’
And Delforge has also his own isolated variation: Anacamptis pyramidalis var. nivea P.DELFORGE. It is a snow-white variation from Greece (Etolia-Akarnania) with reduced basal ridges and a thin, short spur.
Who is next? BAUMANN, KÜNKELE, LORENZ (2006). They also have var. tanayensis, small flowers, dark red, short spur (Swiss) and var. urvilleana, elegant, light coloured, early flowering. (South Mediterranean, Cyclades, Malta).
On Chios A. pyramidalis is almost growing everywhere, but I see only the ‘normal’ nominate form. (TAYLOR, Chios 2012).
Even KRETZSCHMAR/ ECCARIUS/ DIETICH: The Orchid Genera Anacamptis, Orchis, Neotinea. (2007) don’t have exceptional new information, at least not with this genus. I even don’t have to change its name…
And KARATZÁ (2008) has for Lesvos besides the normal Anacamptis pyramidalis and Anacamptis pyramidalis var. albiflora (which he also calls: ‘nivea’ P.DELFORGE) an
X Anacamptorchis lesbiensis B.BIEL. This is a hybrid between Anacamptis pyramidalis and Orchis sancta. He described this species from Kratigos and Ag.Marina in the south of Lesvos, behind Mytilini and the airport. I’m wondering if a hybrid I found in Plakes (between Vatera and Nifida on the coast) is the same species. It looks like a hybrid between Anacamptis and Orchis tridentata, but that cannot be true I know now (because A. pyramidalis has 36, Anacamptis (was Orchis) tridentata 42 chromosomes. But if you compare the sepals & petals in the middle photograph with the sepals & petals of the far right photograph, you might think so.

X Anacamptorchis lesbiensis, Plakes, © JvL 10-05-09 #060

Anacamptis pyramidalis; X Anacamptorchis lesbiensis; Anacamptis sancta.

Another variation I found in the neighbourhood of Sanatorio (Agiasos): It looks like a hybrid between Anacamptis pyramidalis and Platanthera holmboei. In literature there is only one such hybrid described: X Anacamptiplatanthera payotti Fournier 1928 or Nothogenus Anacamptiplatanthera (Anacamptis x Platanthera) P.Fourn. 1928. This is (as the name already shows) a hybrid between Anacamptis pyramidalis and Platanthera bifolia. We don’t have (as far as I know) Platanthera bifolia on Lesvos, but we have Platanthera holmboei and chlorantha!

X Anacamptiplatanthera? © JvL 31-05-2009 #058 Sanatorio.

Anacamptis pyramidalis var. albiflora, Sanatorio 31-05-2009; X Anacamptiplatanthera?, Sanatorio 31-05-2009; Platanthera holmboei, chestnut forest above Sanatorio, 26-05-2011 #013

BOTTOM LINE: Maybe one of the interesting aspects of Anacamptis is not just the variants but also the hybrids with other orchid members. Delforge in his ‘notes’ about Anacamptis: ‘Hybridises very rarely with a few species of Orchis (X Anacamptorchis), extremely rarely with Serapias and Gymnadenia, and doubtfully with Dactylorhiza and Platanthera’…
Let’s summarize which Anacamptis I found on Lesvos: First of course the ‘nominate form’ Anacamptis pyramidalis and second the white variation ‘albiflora’. Then from the other Anacamptis variations ‘brachystachys’ = ‘urvilleana’: - inflorescence near globular, rather lax, flowers pale (see earliest: 27-3-10 #070).
There are 15 different X Anacamptorchis described on the internet, so on Lesvos we have for sure X Anacamptorchis lesbiensis B.Biel (described from Lesvos) but maybe also a hybrid between Anacamptis pyramidalis and Orchis morio (ssp.picta) =
X Anacamptorchis laniccae.
But the most beautiful Pyramidal Orchid was the bicoloured version I found in Eftalou this year: Anacamptis pyramidalis var. bicolour. So far I couldn’t find a bicoloured version in literature and one the internet, and if I really wanted to put my hand (name) in the Hornets Nest I should write: Anacamptis pyramidalis var. bicolor van Lent 2012…

Jan van Lent, Lesvos, 22-6-2012.
Revision: 9-8-2013.
Revision: 20-5-2014

Radiohead: ‘Pyramid song’ (movie: Der Himmel über Berlin.)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee05p1I464s

Anacamptis pyramidalis var. bicolor, Eftalou, © JvL 11-05-12 #028 (4)

Habitat: Eftalou.

Ophrys phrygia, Eftalou. © JvL 20-05-2012 #128

Ophrys phrygia H. Fleischmann & Bornmüller 1923.
The oestrifera group, on Lesvos most likely:
(short side horns): Ophrys dodekanensis, O.ceto, O.bremifera,
O. orphanidea, O.masticorum & O.minutula,
(long side horns): O.cornutula, O.oestrifera & O.phrygia.

HUNTING: After 3 weeks looking at and rewriting my blog about the oestrifera group, I had enough of this group, so I went up here in Eftalou to do my final shooting on Anacamptis pyramidalis, which have been growing here in abundance since the beginning of April. An easy Orchid, no groups around, no complications about names whatsoever, just simply red, pink and white flowers. So I went around on the Eftalou fields making tens of photographs as I thought: ‘before the sun sets, have a quick look at the field where the Himantoglossum robertianum was flowering one month ago’. (Blog 6). I walked up to this huge plant, (still around but of course no flowers anymore) and stumbled over a high, slender Ophrys with 5 big flowers with very long horns. Again I was astonished: In the 9 years I have been crossing this field I never saw one Ophrys, let alone one Ophrys from the oestrifera group in this olive grove, or even an oestrifera member in the whole North of Lesvos! But the light was quickly fading away so only a few photographs were the catch, like the one above. I didn’t have my measuring device with me, but I could see that my catch was more than 50cm high and had very long horns. And it was not one plant but three close to each other! A very small plant with 2 flowers, a medium plant with 2 flowers and the big one with 4 flowers and one flower opening.

Ophrys phrygia, Eftalou. © JvL 21-05-2012 #034

The next day I went straight back to this olive grove to make more photographs of this Ophrysand when I came into the field I almost stumbled over a few oestrifera group species, the same as the day before but smaller. While taking their pictures and measuring their sizes I saw that they were exactly similar to the ‘big’ one from yesterday, which was fortunately still standing there. Fortunately because there is group of horses who use this olive grove for drinking (there is a small stream on the side), grazing and galloping. I walked around in this olive grove but I didn’t have to go far: a few metres away I discovered 10 more plants, all the same species, some small, some medium, some very big. And now I had my measurement tool with me so here are the votes for the biggest Ophrys: 51 cm high; lip 13×8.5mm; horn inside 10mm, outside 16mm; petal 4.2mm long; sepal 14.9×6.6mm. And now for the main question: what is it?

Ophrys phrygia, Eftalou. © JvL 21-05-2012 #024

RESEARCH: Until now I thought there were 2, maybe 3 long horned oestrifera members on the island: O.cornutula (small 6-9mm lip and earlier flowering, mid March-mid April); O. oestrifera (medium lip of 10mm, very long horns, which are hairy outside and inside until the base, small petals, mid April-mid May) and perhaps O. phrygia (round, globular lip of 10-15mm, long horns, turned outside, flowering between the beginning of May until the middle of July). Quick conclusion: this has to be Ophrys phrygia.

ANTONOPOULOS (2008) about Ophrys phrygia: ‘Another Turkish species which has only recently been reported in Greece, more specifically on Chios (by Hirth & Spaeth, 1998). The main characteristics are its late flowering (it normally flowers on Chios at the beginning of May) and the very characteristic lip which is globular at the base and very wide in relation to the stigmatic cavity. The bracts are also long and the length of the lip ranges between 1 and 1.5cm. This is often a tall plant, its stem sometimes reaching a height of 60 (90) cm. To date, it has only been found in a few parts of Chios.’

A Turkish species? So let’s look to KREUTZ (1998) ‘Die Orchideen der Türkei’. His section of Ophrys phrygiagoes deeply into the ‘Problematik’ of this species: ‘After the description of Ophrys phrygia as a small growing plant with small, loosely arranged flowers (from the Turkish province Konya, in south-central Anatolia) by H.Fleischmann & Bornmüller in 1923, this Ophrys for a long time fell into oblivion, and only in 1982 did BAUMANN (1982b) again focus attention on this orchid. In 1982 this species was still treated by BAUMANN & KÜNKELE (1982a) as a synonym of Ophrys oestrifera subsp. bremifera (Ophrys bremifera). But in the same year BAUMANN & KÜNKELE (1982b) recognized and described Ophrys phrygia as an autonomous species and connected it to the Ophrys phrygia described by H.Fleischmann & Bornmüller. They then attached the name Ophrys phrygia to a very tall, loose- and large-flowering species widespread in South andEast Anatolia. Today BAUMANN’s interpretation of Ophrys phrygia is generally adopted.’
But why did the same BAUMANN (in BAUMANN/KÜNKELE/LORENZ, 2006) suddenly rename Ophrys phrygia 23 years later as Ophrys oestrifera subsp. phrygia (H.Fleischm. & Bornm.) H.Baumann & R.Lorenz 2005? But maybe he just wants his name behind every orchid in Europe.
But in short, yes, this is still ‘my’ Eftalou oestrifera member.

Ophrys phrygia, Eftalou. © JvL 21-05-2012 #036

But to be really sure in claiming this Ophrys for Lesvos I read DELFORGE’s (2005) description of Ophrys phrygia carefully, but to quote his description completely I need a few pages more. Important: ‘speculum complex, extensive, sometimes very fragmented, bluish-grey to reddish, glossy, broadly edged yellowish, forming a bilobed shield surrounding the reddish-brown basal field, extended by an often incomplete central ocellus (eye, jvl), 2 parallel lines and/or 2 isolated spots above the appendage as well as 2-4 (-6) plus minus regular small lateral ocelli;’ And also all the rest of the description and dimensions are right. So this is Ophrys phrygia.

And Karatzá (2008), did he find Ophrys phrygia on Lesvos? Yes. On a few different habitats, all in the south of Lesvos: Thermí, Loutrá, Mória, Alifantá, Gkantanás and Mt. Koúrteri. But he did not mention a date and neither did he put a date on his photographs. When did you find them Karatzá, recently or long ago?

BOTTOM LINE: Until the discovery of Ophrys phrygia on Chios (Hirth & Spaeth, 1997) it was thought to be an endemic Turkish species, flowering on some habitats from around Izmir to East-Anatolia (KREUTZ 1998). DELFORGE in 2005: ‘Distribution: Rather poorly known due to confusion with related taxa. Southern Anatolia, principally the Antalya region, east to the Iraqi frontier. In the west, the rare reports from the Aegean islands are doubtful. Local and rather rare’. So until this new discovery in Eftalou nobody (I mean: no orchidologist) believed that Ophrys phrygia was still around on Lesvos. But: Oh yes, It Is!

Ophrys phrygia, Eftalou. © JvL 21-05-2012 #061

Jan van Lent, Lesvos, 25-5-2012.  

The Beatles: ’Yes, it is’:1965
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4oeoGhW0gE