Epipactis atrorubens

Brown-red helleborine (E. atrorubens )

The brown-red helleborine ( Epipactis atrorubens ), also reddish brown helleborine, Dark Red or Black Red helleborine helleborine, Brown Red or Black Red Sitter Sitter, beach vanilla or Vanilleständel called, is a native orchid species.

Description

The brown-red helleborine is a perennial, herbaceous plant that reaches the heights of growth between 20 and 80 centimeters. It forms a short, often mehrtriebiges rhizome with numerous fleshy roots.

The plant flowers from June to August, upright, in the upper part densely hairy, usually purple überlaufenem inflorescence. The zygomorphic flowers can sometimes vary in color, but are usually reddish brown or aubergine colored and by insects, often by bees that pollinated or self-pollinated are. They exude especially in warm weather intense vanilla scent, which is why the plant is referred to as a " beach vanilla ". From the capsular fruits formed the lightweight, dust-like seeds are dispersed by wind.

From the Brown Red helleborine Epipactis natural hybrids with other species are known.

Occurrence

The occurrence of brown red helleborine are always scattered and range in the north to the boreal, to the south by the meridional zone and east to central Siberia and the Caucasus. The orchid is also found in mountainous areas, in the Southern Alps approximately to altitudes of 2400 m. In Central Europe, the plant - like all orchids - in decline for decades, but not one of the highly endangered species of orchids.

One finds the plant in bright woods, hemming and dry and warm locations, preferably alkaline to neutral, nutrient-poor, permeable sand and stone floors. But it was also the pioneer species that colonized like the Barrens, railway embankments and landfills, which are in an early -to mid- successional stage with grass and shrubs companies and sparse birch trees. The orchid colonized extremely dry locations and occurs even on sand dunes.

Like all native orchid species is the Brown-red helleborine under protection.

Pictures

Flowers

Detail

Flower

Hybrid Brown Red × Broadleaf helleborine ( Epipactis × schmalhausenii )