Cephalanthera rubra

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Cephalanthera rubra
Cephalanthera rubra catena-rangeval 55 170602 2.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Genus: Cephalanthera
Species:
C. rubra
Binomial name
Cephalanthera rubra
(L.) Rich. 1817
Synonyms [1]
  • Serapias rubraL.
  • Epipactis rubra(L.) F.W.Schmidt
  • Cymbidium rubrum(L.) Sw.
  • Helleborine rubra(L.) Schrank
  • Dorycheile rubra(L.) Fuss
  • Limodorum rubrum(L.) Kuntze
  • Epipactis purpureaCrantz
  • Cephalanthera comosaTineo in G.Gussone

Cephalanthera rubra, known as red helleborine, [2] is an orchid found in Europe, North Africa and southwest Asia. Although reasonably common in parts of its range, this Cephalanthera has always been one of the rarest orchids in Britain.

Contents

Description

Each flowering shoots reach 20–70 cm height. The shoots grow from a creeping rhizome. The stem is smooth at the base and densely covered with short glandular hairs higher up. The shoots have between 2 and 8 lanceolate leaves which range in size from 5 to 14 cm long and from 1 to 3 cm wide. Each shoot may carry up to 20 flowers, which may be pink to red or rarely white. They are up to 5 cm wide. The petals are curved and lanceolate. Flowers are produced from May to July. [3] It is known to sometimes go many years without flowering. Chromosomes 2n=36

Not to be confused with Epipactis atrorubens (dark red helleborine).

Close up image of the flower. Cephalanthera rubra flower 150604.jpg
Close up image of the flower.

Distribution and habitat

The red helleborine is found throughout most of Europe, east to the Urals and as far as 60 degrees north. It is however rare in Britain, the Low Countries and western France. It also occurs in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia and in various parts of southern Asia as far east as Iran. [4] [1] [5]

Found in light, dry forest, particularly among beech trees, pines and spruces. grows to an altitude of 2,600 m (8,500 ft), especially on calcareous soils with a pH between 5.9–8.2. Flower colour is an indicator of the soil qualities, with darker blooms on more calcareous ground.

Red helleborine is a very rare plant in Britain. It is found only at the following sites:

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the species was recorded from single sites in Somerset, Sussex and Kent, and a second Hampshire site (in the upper Test Valley). The species was also recorded at additional Gloucestershire sites (including Stanley Wood, King's Stanley, now a Woodland Trust woodland), and persisted at some of these into the 1970s. It became a protected species in the UK in 1975 under the Conservation of Wild Creatures and Wild Plants Act. [11]

Ecology

Cephalanthera rubra is thought to be mainly pollinated by flies, although often self-pollination is triggered by rainfall. [12] Pollination may also be carried out by Chelostoma bee ( Chelostoma campanularum ?) and the weevil Miarus campanulae , both of which are thought to mistake the flowers for Campanula persicifolia , a wildflower found on mountains in continental Europe. It is theorised that C. rubra mimics C. persicifolia to increase pollination early in the year. [12]

As the flowers are frequently visited by flies, crab spiders have been observed hunting in them. [12]

C. rubra forms a mycorrhizal relationship with species in the genera Leptodontidium , Phialophora and Tomentella . This enables it to access soil nutrients which would otherwise be unavailable. [13]

Etymology

Cephalanthera comes from the Greek κεφαλή ανθηρός, meaning "head flowering", thought to be a reference to the protruding position of the anthers. The species epithet rubra comes from the Latin for red, referring to the colour of the flowers. The Latin binomial was chosen by a French botanist named Professor Louis Claude Marie Richard.

"Helleborine" may refer to deer using the orchid for food (many conservationists have noted that helleborine orchids are grazed by deer [14] [15] [16] ). Alternatively it may denote that the plants are similar to hellebores (a group of species in the family Ranunculaceae). "Hellebore" comes from the Greek "álkē" and "bora", translating as "fawn" and "food of beasts". [17]

In German, Cephalanthera are referred to as Waldvöglein, meaning little birds of the wood, a reference to the winged appearance of the flowers.

Related Research Articles

<i>Epipactis</i> Genus of orchids

Epipactis, or helleborine, is a genus of terrestrial orchids consisting of approximately 70 species. This genus is abbreviated as Epcts in horticultural trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Workmans Wood, Sheepscombe</span>

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Hawkley Warren is a woodland on the northeast-facing Wealden Edge, near the village of Hawkley, three miles north of Petersfield in Hampshire. The site is situated in a deep chalk combe.

<i>Pulsatilla vulgaris</i> Species of flowering plant

Pulsatilla vulgaris, the pasqueflower, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), found locally on calcareous grassland in Europe, and widely cultivated in gardens. It was considered part of the genus Anemone, to which it is closely related. Several sources still list Anemone pulsatilla as the accepted name, with Pulsatilla vulgaris as a synonym.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windsor Hill</span> Biological Site

Windsor Hill is a 61.8-hectare (153-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire. It lies within the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and it is featured in the Nature Conservation Review. A small part is managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, and access to this area requires a permit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selborne Common</span>

Selborne Common is a 99.6-hectare (246-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Selborne in Hampshire. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I, and is part of the East Hampshire Hangers Special Area of Conservation. It is managed by the National Trust.

<i>Cephalanthera</i> Genus of orchids

Cephalanthera, abbreviated Ceph in horticultural trade, is a genus of mostly terrestrial orchids. Members of this genus have rhizomes rather than tubers. About 15 species are currently recognized, most of them native to Europe and Asia. The only species found in the wild in North America is Cephalanthera austiniae, the phantom orchid or snow orchid. Ecologically, this species is partially myco-heterotrophic. Some of the Eurasian species hybridise.

<i>Cephalanthera longifolia</i> Species of orchid

Cephalanthera longifolia, the narrow-leaved helleborine, sword-leaved helleborine or long-leaved helleborine, is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant in the family Orchidaceae. It is native to light woodland, and widespread across Europe, Asia and North Africa from Ireland and Morocco to China. This includes the United Kingdom, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Algeria, India, Pakistan, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and many other countries.

<i>Spiranthes spiralis</i> Species of orchid

Spiranthes spiralis, commonly known as autumn lady's-tresses, is an orchid that grows in Europe and adjacent North Africa and Asia. It is a small grey-green plant. It forms a rosette of four to five pointed, sessile, ovate leaves about 3 cm (1.2 in) in length. In late summer an unbranched stem of about 10–15 cm (3.9–5.9 in) tall is produced with approximately four sheath-shaped leaves. The white flowers are about 5 mm (0.20 in) long and have a green spot on the lower lip. They are arranged in a helix around the upper half of the stalk. The species is listed in Appendix II of CITES as a species that is not currently threatened with extinction but that may become so. Autumn lady's-tresses are legally protected in Belgium and the Netherlands.

<i>Epipactis atrorubens</i> Species of orchid

Epipactis atrorubens, the dark-red helleborine or royal helleborine, is an herbaceous plant in the orchid family, Orchidaceae.

<i>Epipactis helleborine</i> Species of orchid

Epipactis helleborine, the broad-leaved helleborine, is a terrestrial species of orchid with a broad distribution. It is a long lived herb which varies morphologically with ability to self-pollinate.

<i>Epipactis palustris</i> Species of orchid

Epipactis palustris, the marsh helleborine, is a species of orchid native to Europe and Asia.

<i>Epipactis phyllanthes</i> Species of orchid

Epipactis phyllanthes, the green-flowered helleborine, is an orchid found in the western Palearctic realm.

<i>Epipactis gigantea</i> Species of orchid

Epipactis gigantea is a species of orchid known as the stream orchid, giant helleborine, and chatterbox. This wildflower is native to western North America from British Columbia to central Mexico. This is one of the most abundant orchids of the Pacific coast of North America.

<i>Cephalanthera damasonium</i> Species of orchid

Cephalanthera damasonium, the white helleborine, is a species of orchid. It is widespread across much of Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Cephalanthera damasonium is the type species of the genus Cephalanthera.

<i>Cypripedium calceolus</i> Species of orchid

Cypripedium calceolus is a lady's-slipper orchid, and the type species of the genus Cypripedium. It is native to Europe and Asia.

<i>Epipactis dunensis</i> Species of orchid

Epipactis dunensis, commonly known as dune helleborine, is a species of plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to Great Britain and Ireland. It typically grows to a height of 20–50 cm (7.9–19.7 in) and the upper half of the flowering stalk is hairy. The plant has a long, fleshy rootstock and three to ten yellowish green, oval to lance-shaped leaves arranged in opposite rows along the flowering stem with up to 35 flowers. The three sepals are greenish, the two petals paler, the lower part of the labellum is boat-shaped and dark, chocolate brown with a transparent, whitish rim and the epichile is heart-shaped with a pointed tip. Flowering occurs from late June to mid-August, the flowers are mainly self-pollinated, and the fruit is a capsule, from which light, microscopic seeds are spread by the wind.

Rough Bank, Miserden is a 9.2-hectare (23-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1986. It was purchased by the wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mimicry in plants</span>

In evolutionary biology, mimicry in plants is where a plant organism evolves to resemble another organism physically or chemically, increasing the mimic's Darwinian fitness. Mimicry in plants has been studied far less than mimicry in animals, with fewer documented cases and peer-reviewed studies. However, it may provide protection against herbivory, or may deceptively encourage mutualists, like pollinators, to provide a service without offering a reward in return.

References

  1. 1 2 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ↑ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  3. ↑ First Nature - Cephalanthera rubra
  4. ↑ Harrap, Anne and Simon (2005). Orchids of Britain and Ireland: a Field and Site Guide. A&C Black. pp. 134–40. ISBN   0-7136-6956-X.
  5. ↑ Altervista Flora Italiana, Cefalantera rossa, Red Helleborine, Cephalanthera rubra
  6. 1 2 3 Species distribution map for Cephalanthera rubra Archived 2016-11-04 at the Wayback Machine , NBN Gateway, retrieved 25 February 2010
  7. ↑ Kitchen, Clare, Mark A. R. Kitchen and Ian Carle (2008) Stephen Bishop's New Flora of Gloucestershire Part 2: the distribution maps The Gloucestershire Naturalist No. 14 Gloucestershire Naturalists ' Society, page 232
  8. ↑ Fisher, John (1991) A colour guide to rare wild flowers ISBN   0-09-470780-4 Constable books, London
  9. ↑ Rose, F. and A. Brewis (1988) Short notes: Cephalanthera rubra in Hampshire Archived July 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Watsonia 17: 176-77
  10. ↑ Ratcliffe, D. A. (1977) A Nature Conservation Review Volume 2. Site Accounts p. 53 ISBN   0-521-21403-3
  11. ↑ "Caithness CWS - Caithness Field Club - Annual Bulletins - 1975 - October - Conservation".
  12. 1 2 3 Beobachtung von Miarus campanulae als Bestäuber von Cephalanthera rubra
  13. ↑ Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Changing Partners in the Dark: Isotopic and Molecular Evidence of Ectomycorrhizal Liaisons between Forest Orchids and Trees
  14. ↑ Plantlife - Epipactis youngiana
  15. ↑ "Wildflower Society Online Report". Archived from the original on 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
  16. ↑ Finnish Orchids
  17. ↑ Dictionary.com
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