| Monkey orchid | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
| Genus: | Orchis |
| Species: | O. simia |
| Binomial name | |
| Orchis simia Lam., 1779 | |
Orchis simia, commonly known as the monkey orchid, is a greyish pink to reddish species of the genus Orchis . It gets its common name from its lobed lip which mimics the general shape of a monkey's body. [1]
Contents
The range of the species is central and southern Europe, including southern England, the Mediterranean, Russia, Asia Minor, Caucasus, northern Iraq, Iran to Turkmenistan and northern Africa [2] [3] where it occurs in grassland, garrigue, scrub and open woodland, chiefly on limestone soils. It is absent from the Balearic Islands, Corsica and Sardinia. [4] On Cyprus the species can be categorized as threatened, [2] and it became a protected species in the UK in 1975 under the Conservation of Wild Creatures and Wild Plants Act. [5]
