Ophrys apifera, known in Europe as the bee orchid, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the family Orchidaceae. It serves as an example of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, as well as of a highly selective and highly evolved plant–pollinator relationship.
The genus Ophrys is a large group of orchids from the alliance Orchis in the subtribe Orchidinae. They are widespread across much of Europe, North Africa, Caucasus, the Canary Islands, and the Middle East as far east as Turkmenistan.
A pollinium is a coherent mass of pollen grains in a plant that are the product of only one anther, but are transferred, during pollination, as a single unit. This is regularly seen in plants such as orchids and many species of milkweeds (Asclepiadoideae). Usage of the term differs: in some orchids two masses of pollen are well attached to one another, but in other orchids there are two halves each of which is sometimes referred to as a pollinium.
Ophrys lutea, the yellow bee-orchid, is a species of orchid native to southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, the range extending from Portugal and Morocco to Syria.
Bee orchid is a common name for several orchids and may refer to:
Ophrys insectifera, the fly orchid, is a species of orchid and the type species of the genus Ophrys. It is remarkable as an example of the use of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, as well as a highly selective and highly evolved plant–pollinator relationship.
Spider orchid typically refers to the orchid genus Caladenia as a whole.
Ophrys bombyliflora, the bumblebee orchid, is a species of Ophrys, native from the Mediterranean region from Portugal and the Canary Islands to Turkey and Lebanon. The genus name Ophrys is from the Greek in reference to the hairy lips of the flowers of this genus; the specific epithet bombyliflora is from the Greek bombylios (bumblebee) in reference to the appearance of the flowers of this species.
Castell de Castells is a municipality high in the mountains of the Marina Alta on the Costa Blanca in southeastern Spain. The village is at the source of the Rio Jalón and surrounded by mountains. It is approximately 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from the nearest village of Benigembla, and 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Jalón, the nearest large town. It is approximately one hour's drive to the beaches, the Fuentes de Algar, and Terra Mítica theme park. Also in the area are the caves of Vall d'Ebo and Benidoleig.
Ophrys sphegodes, commonly known as the early spider-orchid, is a species of sexually-deceptive orchid native to Europe and the Middle East. It is a very varied species with many subspecies recognised.
Ophrys bertolonii, commonly known as Bertoloni's bee orchid, is a species of orchid native to the western and central Mediterranean.
Ophrys ferrum-equinum, the horseshoe bee-orchid, is a terrestrial species of orchid native to Albania, Greece, and Turkey, including Crete and other islands of the Aegean. It owes its species name to the characteristic shape of a silver horse-shoe on the brown petal.
Ophrys fusca, commonly known as the sombre bee-orchid or the dark bee-orchid, is a species of orchid native to the Mediterranean from southwestern Europe and northern Africa to western Asia. Most subspecies of the Ophrys fusca are pollinated by males Andrena bees.
Ophrys lunulata, the moon orchid, is a species of orchid native to the islands of Malta and Sicily in the central Mediterranean.
Ophrys omegaifera, the omega bee-orchid, is a species of orchid native to the Mediterranean region from Portugal and Morocco to Syria.
Cottonia is a monotypic genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae: the only known species is Cottonia peduncularis. It is native to India and Sri Lanka. The genus was erected by Robert Wight and named after Major Frederick Cotton, an amateur botanist who served in the Madras Engineer Group and collected the species from Tellichery. A coloured illustration of the plant had been sent to Wight by Thomas C. Jerdon.
Ophrys kotschyi, the Cyprus bee orchid, is a terrestrial species of orchid native to Greece and Cyprus.
Ophrys speculum, the mirror orchid, is a species of Ophrys distributed throughout the Mediterranean that is pollinated exclusively by a single species of scoliid wasp.
Ophrys omegaifera subsp. omegaifera, synonym Ophrys apollonae, is a subspecies of orchid native to France, Greece, Crete, the East Aegean Islands and Turkey. Very early flowering forms native to Greece, the East Aegean Islands and Turkey have been distinguished as Ophrys apollonae. They usually have a shorter stem and with one small flowers, with length just above 1 cm, and a lip 11.7 – 13.7 mm long, much smaller than that of Ophrys omegaifera var. basilissa, which is also a very early flowering plant. As of December 2023, Plants of the World Online treated Ophrys apollonae as a synonym of Ophrys omegaifera subsp. omegaifera.
Ophrys holosericea, the late spider orchid, is a species of flowering plant in the family Orchidaceae, native to western and central Europe and the Mediterranean region. There has been considerable confusion about the identity of this species and the correct spelling of its name.
