Common name:
Common spotted orchid
Family:
Scientific name:
Dactylorhiza fuchsii
Main flower color:
Range:
All of the UK, except the Scottish Highlands
Height:
Up to 60 cm
Habitat:
Grassland, scrub, open woodland, on neutral or calcareous soils
Flowers:
Pale pink to light purple (occasionally all-white), formed of three upwards-pointing sepals, two short upper petals forming a hood and a larger lower petal deeply divided into three lobes, marked with dark streaks and dots. The middle lobe is longer and more pointed than the two side lobes. The spur is conical, and relatively short (up to 8 mm). The bracts are about the same length as the flowers
Leaves:
Elliptical to lanceolate, blunt-tipped, usually marked with many elongated purple dots. Stem leaves are narrower, and often less obviously spotted
Season:
May to August
Rarity:
★★★★★
