Orchid Family [Orchidaceae] |
status
flower
flower
flower
inner
morph
petals
type
stem
rarity
9th June 2010, | Photo: © Phillip Bagshaw |
Flowering spike from 15 - 40cm tall |
8th May 2009, Lot Valley, France. | Photo: © Hester Coley |
Up to 40 flowers suspended from stalks. |
June, Near Gourdon, Lot region of France | Photo: © Kelly Finney |
The basal leaves are lanceolate; not as broad and longer than those of the similar (but 'arm-less') Common Twayblade. This specimen is a yellow variant, detailed below. |
June, Near Gourdon, Lot region of France | Photo: © Kelly Finney |
Stem pale green. The hood is green, but the lip can be either yellow-green, or a yellow-green body with reddish brown, or with reddish 'arms' and 'legs' as here. The shape is like that of a man, sometimes to the extent of having a short third 'leg'. The hood consists of three close segments. |
June, Near Gourdon, Lot region of France | Photo: © Kelly Finney |
A rare variation, Orchis anthropophora var. flavescens lacks red pigments and has a green hood and a yellow lip. This specimen seems to have 'arms' almost as long as his two 'legs'. |
2nd May 2009, Lot Valley, France. | Photo: © Hester Coley |
2nd May 2009, Lot Valley, France. | Photo: © Hester Coley |
The cowl can redden especially at the edges. |
2nd May 2009, Lot Valley, France. | Photo: © Hester Coley |
A typical 'man' shaped tongue. |
9th June 2010, | Photo: © Phillip Bagshaw |
Legs 11. |
9th June 2010, | Photo: © Phillip Bagshaw |
The sexual organs are hidden inside the hood. |
9th June 2010, | Photo: © Phillip Bagshaw |
Some 'men' have a small extra protuberence between the 'legs'. The hood is red-edged. |
Easily mistaken for : Common Twayblade but that is arm-less having only two limbs on the lip and not four, and its basal leaves number only two and those are very broad and oval rather than the four lanceolate basal leaves of Man Orchid. Hybridizes with : Monkey Orchid (Orchis simia) to produce Orchis × bergonii which was found in one site in Kent in 1985. Uniquely identifiable characteristics Distinguishing Feature : No relation to : Isle of Man Cabbage [a plant with similar name]. Although some or all the photographs above were taken in France, this Orchid does grow in the UK too but is relatively scarce. Grows on short turf on limestone especially on the North Downs of Kent.
The floral bouquet is due to a large number of volatile aliphatic compounds, alkanoids (which resemble alkanes and are not to be confused with alkaloids), terpenes, terpenoids and sesquiterpenoids. The main aliphatic compounds are
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Orchis | anthropophora | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Orchidaceae |
Orchis (Orchids) |
Orchid Family [Orchidaceae] |