Orchis simia

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Monkey orchid
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Genus: Orchis
Species:
O. simia
Binomial name
Orchis simia
Lam.
, 1779

Orchis simia, commonly known as the monkey orchid, is a greyish pink to reddish species of the genus Orchis. It gets its common name from its lobed lip which mimics the general shape of a monkey's body.[1]

The range of the species is central and southern

Asia Minor, Caucasus, northern Iraq, Iran to Turkmenistan and northern Africa[2][3] where it occurs in grassland, garrigue, scrub and open woodland, chiefly on limestone soils. It is absent from the Balearic Islands, Corsica and Sardinia.[4] On Cyprus the species can be categorized as threatened,[2] and it became a protected species in the UK in 1975 under the Conservation of Wild Creatures and Wild Plants Act.[5]

Gallery

  • Wild monkey orchid (Orchis simia), Hérault, France
    Wild monkey orchid (Orchis simia), Hérault, France

References

External links