2016 UK Orchids (1 Viewer)

[muba]

Thanks Steve, all three parents of these hybrids were growing in good numbers in this meadow. There are a variety of views on the identity of these hybrids, I just wish I’d known to check whether the stem was solid or hollow, that would have narrowed the field!
Jeff

Looking at this another way, on the damp common where I see venusta the hybribs occur in large numbers with much back crossing. But formosa is highly sterile and occurs singly according to Harrap. Therefore if your first hybrid was a bit of a loner it sounds a better bet for formosa. The lack of a hybrid swarm of venusta could be expained by incompatible flowering time up North for NMO and CSO.

 

[Gareth Stamp]

Hi Mike,

I will post some photos of the narrow lipped as soon as I get chance to go through my photos. Thanks for all the replies regarding the Wendover var rosea. The plan was to drop in there on the way back from the purple chicken but I decided to use an alternative route to avoid the M25.

Spent the morning in Lower Woods today. Violet helleborines just starting to flower around the site. The star of the show is the var rosea in full flower. A very fine example. Also an additional var rosea nearby but still in tight bud. Several broad leaved helleborines also on-site.

At least they're there! Sean and I visited a few years ago and found lots of plants in bud, some of which we were sure would be narrow-lipped.

I paid a return visit a couple of weeks later and every single one was broad-leaved!

Do you have any pics of the plants? Would be keen to see them. This is the only site in Wales so I find it particularly fascinating.

Mike

 

[JCL]

Norfolk CLT

Upped my personal count yesterday from the pathetic (at-dusk) 25 a couple of weeks back to 234. Still well short of the 500 counted by eyes sharper than mine! All CLT were slightly beyond their best, looking better in image than they do in the field.

 

[leptochila]

The star of the show is the var rosea in full flower. A very fine example. Also an additional var rosea nearby but still in tight bud. Several broad leaved helleborines also on-site.

Pics of that too please!

 

[Gareth Stamp]

Narrow-lipped helleborine

Apologies for the poor quality of these photos. It was a heavy cloud day and a very dark beech wood. This was the best plant I could find.

 

[Gareth Stamp]

Violet helleborine var rosea

A few photos from Lowers Woods just the other day

 

[muba]

A Violet Helleborine with virtually no violet. The flowers show no pigmentation, the leaves and bracts are bright green, and only the stem shows the slightest degee of colouration. There were three others close by very similar. Shropshire. It was growing leaning over due to the other vegetation, hence the angle of the photograph. Views and opinions appreciated

Steve

 

[MarkHows]

This is what the Wendover plant looked like on Sunday

Wendover plant flowering nicely on Friday, Whiteleaf plant still in tight bud.

Mark

 

[jeffnsue]

Regarding your E purpurata from Shropshire, Steve, I know it’s very dark where they grow and I wonder whether that has any impact on how “bright” the flowers are. As you say, there is no sign of a purple flush, but they can’t be anything else but purpurata so perhaps it just has to be put down to natural variation.

On another front, here’s a Broad-leaved Helleborine from Marford Woods where Steve recently photographed a wide variety of colours. This one is very green: can I claim it as ‘viridiflora’?
Jeff

 

[muba]

Regarding your E purpurata from Shropshire, Steve, I know it’s very dark where they grow and I wonder whether that has any impact on how “bright” the flowers are. As you say, there is no sign of a purple flush, but they can’t be anything else but purpurata so perhaps it just has to be put down to natural variation.
Jeff

On the contrary Jeff, those VH were not where you are thinking, they were on a woodland edge in daylight and the camera shot reflects their apperance well.
Look againand you will see no violet flush anywhere, not even at the base of the ovary stem.

Steve

 

[muba]

On another front, here’s a Broad-leaved Helleborine from Marford Woods where Steve recently photographed a wide variety of colours. This one is very green: can I claim it as ‘viridiflora’?
Jeff

I think I saw the same one a couple of years ago and was told the cup also had to be green. This is a viridiflora I saw last year which fits the bill.

 

[jeffnsue]

Just another example of the great variation the species exhibits then.
I’ll keep looking!
Jeff

 

[rmielcarek]

Autumn Ladies Tresses

Small group of ALTs in flower locally today.

Rich M

 

[Gareth Stamp]

Helleborine taken at Lowers Woods. Can someone please confirm the ID for me. Leaves were quite narrow for broad leaved. Many thanks

 

[rmielcarek]

Helleborine taken at Lowers Woods. Can someone please confirm the ID for me. Leaves were quite narrow for broad leaved. Many thanks

Interesting plant Gareth, a few possible hybrids or aberrants have been noted there over the recent years, I don't suppose you noted the colour of the base of the stem or the details of the lowest leaf?

That said stem looks quite green in your photos.

Rich

 

[leptochila]

Regarding your E purpurata from Shropshire, Steve, I know it’s very dark where they grow and I wonder whether that has any impact on how “bright” the flowers are. As you say, there is no sign of a purple flush, but they can’t be anything else but purpurata so perhaps it just has to be put down to natural variation.

On another front, here’s a Broad-leaved Helleborine from Marford Woods where Steve recently photographed a wide variety of colours. This one is very green: can I claim it as ‘viridiflora’?
Jeff

Almost but as Steve notes, the hypochile should be green as in his pic. Lovely big specimen though!

Mike

 

[leptochila]

Apologies for the poor quality of these photos. It was a heavy cloud day and a very dark beech wood. This was the best plant I could find.

Fantastic, thanks for this Gareth.

Looks like a shy flowerer...

 

[Gareth Stamp]

Hi Rich,

The base of the stem was more purplish. The lowest leaf was wider but still more typical of a violet helleborine. The flowers were quite clean but had a purplish wash to them more typical of broad leaved. It looked half way between the two.

Thanks

Gareth

Interesting plant Gareth, a few possible hybrids or aberrants have been noted there over the recent years, I don't suppose you noted the colour of the base of the stem or the details of the lowest leaf?

That said stem looks quite green in your photos.

Rich

 

[Gareth Stamp]

Kenfig Dunes

35 broad leaved helleborines var neerlandica at various stages from tight bud to going over. Down on last year's count of 54 in the same area of dune. Also many plants seem to be smaller than last year.

 

[rmielcarek]

Hi Rich,

The base of the stem was more purplish. The lowest leaf was wider but still more typical of a violet helleborine. The flowers were quite clean but had a purplish wash to them more typical of broad leaved. It looked half way between the two.

Thanks

Gareth

Looking at that bottom leaf in your photo, I may be mistaken but from what I can see you'd struggle to make the ratio of length to width exceed 1.5.

Everything seems to point towards Broad-leaved.

Rich