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.
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.
Anacamptis morio, the green-winged orchid or green-veined orchid, is a flowering plant of the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It usually has purple flowers, and is found in Europe and the Middle East.
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.
Himantoglossum hircinum, the lizard orchid, is a species of orchid in the genus Himantoglossum found in Europe and North Africa.
Orchis mascula, the early-purple orchid, early spring orchis, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family, Orchidaceae.
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 omegaifera, the omega bee-orchid, is a species of orchid native to the Mediterranean region from Portugal and Morocco to Syria.
Ophrys umbilicata is a species of orchid found from Albania to Iran, including Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey and Cyprus.
Chemical mimicry is a type of biological mimicry involving the use of chemicals to dupe an operator.
Ophrys scolopax, known as the woodcock bee-orchid or woodcock orchid, is a species of terrestrial orchid found around the Mediterranean and the Middle East, from Morocco and Portugal to Hungary and Iran.
Ophrys argolica, the late spider orchid, or Argolian bee-orchid, is a terrestrial species of orchid native to Greece, Italy, Croatia, Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon and Syria. The epithet "argolica" refers to the Argolia region of Greece, southwest of Athens.
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 sphegodes subsp. taurica, with many synonyms, including Ophrys caucasica, is a subspecies of orchid native from southeast Europe through the Caucasus to Iran. As Ophrys caucasica, it has been recorded in numerous areas throughout Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia. Local names include Armenian: Սարդակիր Մեղվակիր, romanized: Sardakir mexvakir, Azerbaijani: xarı-bülbül and Georgian: ფუტკრის-დედა, romanized:put'k'ris-deda.
Colletes cunicularius, the vernal colletes or spring mining bee, is a species of solitary bee from the family Colletidae which is widespread in the Palearctic from Britain to the Pacific Ocean which nests in areas of open, sandy soil.
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.
The pollination of orchids is a complex chapter in the biology of this family of plants that are distinguished by the complexity of their flowers and by intricate ecological interactions with their pollinator agents. It has captured the attention of numerous scientists over time, including Charles Darwin, father of the theory of evolution by natural selection. Darwin published in 1862 the first observations of the fundamental role of insects in orchid pollination, in his book The Fertilization of Orchids. Darwin stated that the varied stratagems orchids use to attract their pollinators transcend the imagination of any human being.
