Ophrys bombyliflora

Drone bee orchid ( Ophrys bombyliflora )

The drone bee orchid ( Ophrys bombyliflora ), which is also called Hummelschweber orchid or brakes Orchid, is a species of the genus Ragwurzen ( Ophrys ) in the family of the Orchid Family ( Orchidaceae).

Description

This perennial herbaceous plant has between two and five spherical tubers as outlasting and reaches stature heights 5-30 cm. At the base of the stem, there are one or two egg-shaped shed leaves. Four to eight leaves are grouped in a basal rosette and in the lower half of the stem you will find one or two more long failed digested leaves.

The inflorescence comprises one to five flowers in which mostly the bracts are shorter than the ovary. The broadly ovate sepals are colored green, the middle one is slightly shorter and narrower than the Lateral. The hairy, broadly triangular petals appear yellowish green. The deeply lobed lip is dark brown in color. The middle lobe has downward bent edges, whereby it assumes the shape of a hemisphere. Front he has a backward-looking appendage that is not easy to see at first glance. The downturned lateral lobes at the base have a hairy hump. The inconspicuous time is brownish to pale violet.

The flowering period extends from February to May

The drones orchid is only slightly variable in shape and stands out from other members of their species usually isolated.

Distribution and site conditions

The distribution area extends across the Mediterranean. Eastwards the area ends in Western Anatolia and Rhodes. This species is the only orchid that is found in the Canary Islands. There you can find them on Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

This species prefers open woods, Garriguen, poor grass and little used cultivated land with moderately dry to moderately moist, but always base-rich soils as a location. In the mountains you will find this orchid to a height of 900 meters above sea level.