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broad-leaved helleborine

Epipactis helleborine

Summary 7

Epipactis helleborine, the broad-leaved helleborine, is a terrestrial species of orchid. Its nodding flowers vary from greenish pink to purple, and it prefers shaded woodland environments.

Epipactis helleborine 8

Epipactis helleborine (Broad-leaved Helleborine) is a terrestrial species of orchid. Its nodding flowers vary from greenish pink to purple, and it prefers shaded woodland environments.

Contents

Description[edit]

Epipactis helleborine grows to a height of 80 cms has broad dull green leaves which are strongly ribbed and flat. The flowers are arranged in a long drooping racemes with dull green sepals and shorter upper petals. The lower labellum is pale red and is much shorter than the upper petals.[3]

Distribution[edit]

It is widespread across much of Europe and Asia from Portugal to China, as well as northern Africa.[1][4][5] In North America, it is widely naturalized mostly in the Northeastern United States, eastern Canada and the Great Lakes Region, but also in scattered locations in other parts of the continent.[6][7][8]

Ecology[edit]

Found in woods and hedge-banks.[9] Eight varieties of Epipactis helleborine in central Europe (Lower Silesia, Poland) had their nectar studied and they were found to contain naturally occurring oxycodone (as well as another narcotic like opioid) in minute amounts.[10]

Subspecies[edit]

A rather long list of names have been proposed for subspecies, varieties and forms of Epipactis helleborine, far too many to list here.[2] This is not unusual for such a widespread species. At present (June 2014) only the following are accorded international acceptance:[1]

  1. Epipactis helleborine subsp. bithynica(Robatsch) Kreutz - Turkey
  2. Epipactis helleborine subsp. degenii(Szentp. & Mónus) Kreutz - Greece
  3. Epipactis helleborine subsp. densifolia(W.Hahn, Passin & R.Wegener) Kreutz - Turkey
  4. Epipactis helleborine subsp. helleborine - widespread
  5. Epipactis helleborine subsp. latinaW.Rossi & E.Klein - Italy, former Yugoslavia
  6. Epipactis helleborine subsp. leutei(Robatsch) Kreutz - Austria, Czech Republic
  7. Epipactis helleborine subsp. levantinaKreutz, Óvári & Shifman - Turkey
  8. Epipactis helleborine subsp. molochina(P.Delforge) Kreutz - Spain
  9. Epipactis helleborine subsp. neerlandica(Verm.) Buttler - Great Britain, Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Germany
  10. Epipactis helleborine subsp. orbicularis(K.Richt.) E.Klein - Austria, Czech Republic, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, Baltic Republics
  11. Epipactis helleborine subsp. schubertiorum(Bartolo, Pulv. & Robatsch) Kreutz - Italy
  12. Epipactis helleborine var. tangutica(Schltr.) S.C.Chen & G.H.Zhu - China
  13. Epipactis helleborine subsp. tremolsii(Pau) E.Klein - France, Spain, Portugal, Sardinia, Italy, Algeria, Morocco

References[edit]

  1. ^ abcKew World Checklist of Selected Plant Species, Epipactis helleborine
  2. ^ abKew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Epipactis helleborine subsp. helleborine, synonyms
  3. ^Webb, D.A., Parnell, J. and Doogue,D . 1996. An Irish Flora. Dundalgan Press (W. Tempest) Ltd. Dundalk.ISBN 0-85221-131-7
  4. ^Altervista Flora Italiana, Elleborine comune, Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz
  5. ^Flora of China v 25 p 180, 火烧兰 huo shao lan, Epipactis helleborine (Linnaeus) Crantz
  6. ^Flora of North America v 26 p 586, Epipactis helleborine (Linnaeus) Crantz
  7. ^Biota of North America Program, county range map
  8. ^"World Checklist of Selected Plant Families". 
  9. ^Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg, E.F. 1968. Excursion Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press ISBN 0 521 04656 4
  10. ^“Why do pollinators become 'sluggish'? Nectar chemical constituents from Epipactis helleborine L. Crantz Orchidaceae”. Applied Ecology & Environmental Research. 2005;3(2):29-38. Jakubska A, Przado D, Steininger M, Aniol-Kwiatkowska A, Kadej M.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) AnneTanne, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/78746377@N00/2661831212
  2. Jan Ševčík, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/99642.jpg
  3. (c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.biopix.com/photos/SDL-Epipactis-helleborine-00001.jpg
  4. (c) Valter Jacinto, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8254/8684134550_c030553165_o.jpg
  5. (c) Valter Jacinto, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8394/8684134588_51f8384ebd_o.jpg
  6. (c) Valter Jacinto, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8536/8684134728_486efd9c5a_o.jpg
  7. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipactis_helleborine
  8. (c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/32420050

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(c) Discover Life and original sources, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-SA)

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