Common name:
Giant orchid
Family:
Scientific name:
Himantoglossum robertianum
Main flower color:
Range:
A single location in Oxfordshire; may spread elsewhere. Native to the Mediterranean region
Height:
Up to 100 cm
Habitat:
Grassland and open woodland, often on calcareous soils
Flowers:
In a dense, elongated cluster at the top of the thick stem. Sepals are reddish pink, flecked with darker blotches, while the two upper petals are pale green, forming a hood with the central sepal. The lip, around 2 cm long, has a pair of lateral lobes and a two-lipped lower lobe; it is white at the centre, becoming darker towards the edge, marked with dots and lines
Leaves:
Yellow-green, clustered at and near the base; broad, elliptic, up to 20 cm long and 10 cm across
Season:
February to April
Rarity:
★★★★★
