Dactylorhiza elata (Poiret) Soó 1962 Photo courtesy of © Swiss Orchid Foundation at the Herbarium Jany Renz and their Website

Another Plant in situ Photo courtesy of F.Dusak and the Orchids of France and Europe

LATE to EARLY

D praetermissa Group

Common Name The Stately Dactylorhiza

Flower Size

A medium to giant sized, cool growing terrestrial orchid from Portugal, Spain, France, Corsica, Sardinia, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia in fens, damp meadows, seapages and banks at elevations up to 2500 meters with a hollow stemcarrying 5 to 10, cauline, narrowly to broadly ovate-lanceolate, unspotted to rarely lightly spotted, erect leaves that are smaller in size and more bractlike as they near inflorescence that blooms in the late spring and early summer on a terminal, erect, 6.4" to 12.8" [16 to 32 cm] long, lax, or densely [30 to 120] flowered, racemose inflorescence that has leaf-like bracts.

Synonyms Dactylorchis elata (Poir.) Verm. 1947; Dactylorchis munbyana (Boiss. & Reut.) Verm. 1947; Dactylorchis sesquipedalis (Willd.) Verm. 1947; Dactylorhiza elata f. leucantha (Maire & Weiller) Raynaud 1985; Dactylorhiza elata f. pallida (Maire & Weiller) Raynaud 1985; Dactylorhiza elata f. peltieri (Soó) Raynaud 1985; Dactylorhiza elata f. speciosissima (Soó) Raynaud 1985; Dactylorhiza elata subsp. ambigua (J.A.Guim.) Kreutz 2004; Dactylorhiza elata subsp. iberica (T.Stephenson) Kreutz 2005; Dactylorhiza elata subsp. mauritanica B.Baumann & H.Baumann 2005; Dactylorhiza elata subsp. munbyana (Boissier & Reuter) Soó ?; Dactylorhiza elata subvar. maroccanica (Soó) Raynaud 1985; Dactylorhiza elata subvar. munbyana (Boiss. & Reut.) Raynaud 1985; Dactylorhiza elata subvar. speciosissima (Soó) Raynaud 1985; Dactylorhiza elata subvar. stephensonii (Maire & Weiller) Raynaud 1985; Dactylorhiza elata var. ambigua (J.A.Guim.) Soo 1962; Dactylorhiza elata var. corsica (E.Rev. ex E.G.Camus) Soó 1962; Dactylorhiza elata var. elongata (Maire) Raynaud 1985; Dactylorhiza elata var. munbyana (Boiss. & Reut.) Soó 1962; Dactylorhiza elata var. occitanica (Geniez, Melki, Pain & Soca) P.Delforge 2011; Dactylorhiza incarnata subsp. africana (Klinge) H.Sund. 1980; Dactylorhiza incarnata subsp. elata (Poir.) H.Sund. 1975; Dactylorhiza majalis subsp. sesquipedalis (Willd.) H.A.Pedersen & Hedrén 2012; Dactylorhiza munbyana (Boissier & Reuter) Holub 1984; Dactylorhiza vestita (Cav. ex Lag. & Rodr.) Aver. 1986; × Orchidactyla kabyliensis (G.Keller) Aver. 1986; Orchis africana Klinge 1898; *Orchis elata Poiret 1833; Orchis elata f. albiflora Maire 1940; Orchis elata f. elongata (Maire) Soó 1933; Orchis elata f. klingeana Soó 1927; Orchis elata f. leucantha Maire & Weiller 1959; Orchis elata f. mairei Soó 1933; Orchis elata f. munbyana (Boiss. & Reut.) Soó 1927; Orchis elata f. pallida Maire & Weiller 1959; Orchis elata f. peltieri Soó 1933; Orchis elata f. speciosissima Soó 1933; Orchis elata f. willdenowiana Soó 1927; Orchis elata subsp. ambigua (J.A.Guim.) Soó 1927; Orchis elata subsp. munbyana (Boiss. & Reut.) E.G.Camus 1928; Orchis elata subsp. sesquipedalis (Willd.) Soó 1928; Orchis elata subvar. stephensonii Maire & Weiller 1959; Orchis elata var. algerica (Rchb.) Maire & Weiller 1959; Orchis elata var. ambigua (J.A.Guim.) Schltr. 1927; Orchis elata var. corsica (E.Rev. ex E.G.Camus) Soó 1927; Orchis elata var. elongata Maire 1931; Orchis elata var. munbyana (Boiss. & Reut.) Soó 1933; Orchis elata var. poiretiana Maire & Weiller 1959; Orchis elata var. sesquipedalis (Willd.) Schltr. 1927; Orchis elata var. vestita (Lag. & Rodr.) Losa & Rivas Goday 1968; Orchis incarnata f. algerica (Desf.) Rchb. 1851; Orchis incarnata subsp. sesquipedalis (Willd.) E.G.Camus 1892; Orchis incarnata var. algerica Desf. 1799; Orchis incarnata var. algerica Rchb. 1851; Orchis incarnata var. ambigua J.A.Guim. 1887; Orchis incarnata var. elatior E.G.Camus 1908; Orchis incarnata var. sesquipedalis (Willd.) Rchb.f. 1851; Orchis kabyliensis G.Keller 1933; Orchis kabyliensis var. rassautae Alleiz. in ?; Orchis latifolia var. corsica E.Rev. ex E.G.Camus 1892; Orchis latifolia subsp. lusitanica (Steud.) Gand. 1910; Orchis latifolia var. elata Harz 1896; Orchis latifolia var. elatior Batt. & Trab. 1884; Orchis latifolia var. labrovaria Brot. 1827; Orchis latifolia var. munbyana (Boiss. & Reut.) Batt. 1884; Orchis lusitanica Steud. 1841; Orchis munbyana Boissier & Reuter 1852; Orchis orientalis subsp. africana Klinge 1898; Orchis rassautae (Alleiz.) Alleiz. 1962; Orchis sesquipedalis var. algerica (Desf.) Briq. 1910; Orchis sesquipedalis var. corsica (E.Rev. ex E.G.Camus) Briq. 1910; Orchis vestita Cav. ex Lag. & Rodr. 1803

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 4 193 to 256 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1973; Orchid Digest Vol 57 Vol 3 1993 photo fide; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 40 pg 2492 - 2564 Brieger 2000; Rudolf Schlechter Die Orchideen Band 1C lieferung 40 pg 2492 - 2564 Brieger 2000 as D munbyana; Orchids of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East Delforge 2005

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