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2011 UK Orchid season updates (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter heakl
- Start date
Ghostly Vision
Well-known member
Hi Alan
For names to be used they have to be verified, with a type specimen and a Latin description, by the ICBN. Atrofuscus never had any of this, so should be replaced and forgotten. It means pretty much the same as fulvofusca anyway = dark!!
The picture in Harrap was copied by Richard Millington from the only published photo of the Sussex plant. The reason it appears to show a necklace is that on the original photo the light from the sun - or flash - made a white line on the edge of the speculum. This was copied as a feature by RGM.
As for the Radipole plants, I have seen others elsewhere equally as plain and dark, with only a slight necklace. There is only one plant there which fully confirms with the fulfvofusca description.
Hope this is clear......
Ghostly Vision
Well-known member
Ref the Red helleborines in the Chilterns, may I remind everyone that the plants are now inside a double enclosure with no access, so apart from the fact that you shouldn't visit the site unaccompanied by a warden - or by pre-arrangement - there isn't much point anyway.
There is a single plant outside the enclosure but it often gets eaten off by Muntjac before it gets to flower. I guess it is not "wire-hatted" as it is some way outside the enclosure and that would draw attention to it. Neither do they put copper rings around it, so the slugs can also have a go. I think it last flowered in 2008.
The Hampshire plants have not flowered for a number of years now, and no rosettes have been found in the last two. That is another site which is protected by enclosures which shouldn't be entered without prior permission from Hampshire County Council, who manage the site. Plants formerly flowered in more than one area outside the enclosure, so wandering around the wood might end up in trampling of any undiscovered rosettes.
The only place to see Red helleborine is the Gloucestershire site, and you won't get close enough to them to photograph them.
Regards
Sean
There is a single plant outside the enclosure but it often gets eaten off by Muntjac before it gets to flower. I guess it is not "wire-hatted" as it is some way outside the enclosure and that would draw attention to it. Neither do they put copper rings around it, so the slugs can also have a go. I think it last flowered in 2008.
The Hampshire plants have not flowered for a number of years now, and no rosettes have been found in the last two. That is another site which is protected by enclosures which shouldn't be entered without prior permission from Hampshire County Council, who manage the site. Plants formerly flowered in more than one area outside the enclosure, so wandering around the wood might end up in trampling of any undiscovered rosettes.
The only place to see Red helleborine is the Gloucestershire site, and you won't get close enough to them to photograph them.
Regards
Sean
leptochila
Well-known member
Hi Sean,
I definitely saw that plant outside the cage in bud last year (2 buds), though it was quite scraggy and it was also protected by a cage. Think I'll be going on an official walk with the warden next year...finger's crossed for a good show!
Feeling a good year for a Ghost or two? Consecutive very cold snowy winters could be a goer! Btw, have you seen the new photos Tim Rich has posted on iSpot of the 2009 Ghost? It's interesting...
Mike.
Ghostly Vision
Well-known member
Thanks for the update Mike.
The photos on ispot were the ones released with the articles on the finding of the plant.
Despite the cold winters this spring has been dry as a bone, but I will be checking the 2009 site soon to see how it is looking for later on. Ghost is most likely to flower at the site in September, but rain from now on won't help the flowering.
Cheers
Sean
rmielcarek
Well-known member
Bee variants
For those of us who worry about the various Bee variants, what is to be made of plants that seem to be half and half?
It is not unusual to find Bee orchids where one of the flowers has a completely different lip pattern from the others on the stem. I also understand that a plant with both trollii and normal flowers on the same stem has been recorded in Glos (and a photograph of similar plant on the continent is in Bournerias) and a plant that produces both belgarum and normal flowers exists.
On Friday I found this plant; although the petals are relatively narrow they are more than two-thirds the length of the sepals and are sepaloid. I was therefore happy it was var friburgensis. However I was slightly curious as to why the petals on the second flower, which was just starting to unfurl, looked so short.
On Sunday I got a message from Simon Mackie to say the second flower was fully open and it was a normal Bee flower. I visited myself this morning and both the second and the third flowers are fully open and both are normal!
Photos from this morning to follow once I've sorted them out.
Rich M
For those of us who worry about the various Bee variants, what is to be made of plants that seem to be half and half?
It is not unusual to find Bee orchids where one of the flowers has a completely different lip pattern from the others on the stem. I also understand that a plant with both trollii and normal flowers on the same stem has been recorded in Glos (and a photograph of similar plant on the continent is in Bournerias) and a plant that produces both belgarum and normal flowers exists.
On Friday I found this plant; although the petals are relatively narrow they are more than two-thirds the length of the sepals and are sepaloid. I was therefore happy it was var friburgensis. However I was slightly curious as to why the petals on the second flower, which was just starting to unfurl, looked so short.
On Sunday I got a message from Simon Mackie to say the second flower was fully open and it was a normal Bee flower. I visited myself this morning and both the second and the third flowers are fully open and both are normal!
Photos from this morning to follow once I've sorted them out.
Rich M
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Robert S J Smith
Well-known member
rmielcarek
Well-known member
Hi Lorne,
yes, but the Mendip one where the plants always flower later.
This mornings pics of the top two flowers and one of the whole stem. Looking at the top flower more carefully (it's easier to study photos than the plant in the field) it seems to be intermediate between the other two!
Rich M
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Last edited:
davidearlgray
davidearlgray
davidearlgray
davidearlgray
Another Hybrid orchid?
Hi all, have a look at this hybrid Southern Marsh orchid I found in NW Leics last week.
I just wonder what people think as I'm a bit stumped on the parentage of the orchid?
Cheers,
Dave.
http://davidearlgray.blogspot.com/
Hi all, have a look at this hybrid Southern Marsh orchid I found in NW Leics last week.
I just wonder what people think as I'm a bit stumped on the parentage of the orchid?
Cheers,
Dave.
http://davidearlgray.blogspot.com/
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Hi Dave,
Looks interesting. My first guess would be that its an aberrant Southern Marsh Orchid. Do you have any more close ups of it? On first impressions when opening the photos to me it almost looked Frog like :eek!: The hood structure in particular makes it look very amphibian (to me anyway), although it lacks the tight three-lobed appearance of the lip, and is not really washed out or particularly atypical in colour as most frog hybrids seem to be. The lip looks elongated, but this could be simply an impression given by the lack of side lobes. It curls up here, and you could speculate this is the result of the plant struggling for some reason?
Frog x SMO hybrid has been claimed before, Ive not seen any photos nor can find any on the internet after a quick search. What other orchids are nearby and what's the habitat? Is it with a swarm of Dact. hybrids or with one sp? If the former Id possibly change my guess to an aberrant hybrid (presumably CSO x SMO)...
Cheers
Thanks Dave,
Those were my thoughts but my dact knowledge is pretty slim to say the least.
Looking at your photo I can see why Gareth mentioned Frog but I will be watching with interest to see what others think of it, lovely plant whatever.
Alan
rmielcarek
Well-known member
Yes, I agree it is not clear that this is a hybrid but certainly weird. Be good to see some pictures showing the structure of the flower.
Still unopened buds on the top - how does that compare with surrounding Southern Marsh?
Rich M
rmielcarek
Well-known member
And how's this one for angustiloba?
Compares reasonably with the photo in Turner Ettlinger.
Rich M
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