| Serapias parviflora | |
|---|---|
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| Inflorescence of Serapias parviflora | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
| Genus: | Serapias |
| Species: | S. parviflora |
| Binomial name | |
| Serapias parviflora | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Serapias parviflora, the small-flowered tongue-orchid, [1] is a species of orchid native to the Mediterranean Basin and the Atlantic coast of Europe.
Serapias parviflora grows to around 10–30 centimetres (4–12 in) high (occasionally up to 40 cm or 16 in). At the base of the stem, there are 4–7 keeled, linear leaves, and 1–3 bract-like leaves further up the stem. The 3–8 flowers (rarely up to 12) are arranged in a spike. The greyish-pink sepals and petals form a hood over the column and the lip, which is typically 14–19 mm (0.55–0.75 in) long. [2]
Serapias parviflora is found natively across the Mediterranean Basin from the Iberian Peninsula to the Aegean Sea, as well as in the Canary Islands and along the Atlantic coast of France. [3] It was discovered in 1989 at Rame Head in Cornwall (United Kingdom), and may have dispersed there naturally. [2] That colony disappeared after 20 years, but in 2021, 16 plants were discovered growing on the 11th-floor biodiverse green roof at Nomura International's office building in the City of London. [4]
The population of Orchids at NOMURA increased to over 29 individuals in 2022 and 40 in 2023. By early 2024 the Nomura colony had increased to over 300 individual plants thanks to sympathetic management of the green roof by the banks ecologist. (https://irp.cdn-website.com/59158a38/files/uploaded/green%20roof%20annual%20report%202021-2022%20ver2.0.pdf)
Origin of the NOMURA orchids. Examining the records of the source materials used in construction of the green roof reveal they were not sourced from anywhere near to the orchids natural range. The most plausible explanation for their arrival is wind blown seed on a weather phenomenon such as those which frequently bring Saharan dust storms to the city in spring. The timing of the orchids flowering in the southern Mediterranean and North Africa, going to seed and timings of Saharan dust storms over london in late spring happens to line up.
NOMURA are working with Kew Science laboratories and mycologists to study the orchids and hope to shed further light on their arrival in the future.
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae, a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth except glaciers. The world's richest diversity of orchid genera and species is found in the tropics.
A dust storm, also called a sandstorm, is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Fine particles are transported by saltation and suspension, a process that moves soil from one place and deposits it in another.
Anacamptis is a genus of flowering plants in the orchid family (Orchidaceae); it is often abbreviated as Ant in horticulture. This genus was established by Louis Claude Richard in 1817; the type species is the pyramidal orchid and it nowadays contains about one-third of the species placed in the "wastebin genus" Orchis before this was split up at the end of the 20th century, among them many that are of hybrid origin. The genus' scientific name is derived from the Greek word anakamptein, meaning "to bend backwards".
Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. is a Japanese financial services company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Nomura Holdings, Inc. (NHI), which forms part of the Nomura Group. It plays a central role in the securities business, the group's core business. Nomura is a financial services group and global investment bank. Based in Tokyo, Japan, with regional headquarters in Hong Kong, London, and New York, Nomura employs about 26,000 staff worldwide; it is known as Nomura Securities International in the US, and Nomura International plc. in EMEA. It operates through five business divisions: retail, global markets, investment banking, merchant banking, and asset management.
Microtis, commonly known as onion orchids or mignonette orchids is a genus of about 20 species of plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Onion orchids are terrestrial herbs with a single leaf at the base of the plant. They are similar to orchids in the genus Prasophyllum in that they have an onion-like leaf. The flowers are small but often scented and attractive to their insect pollinators. They are widespread in Asia, Australia and some Pacific islands.
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.
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, and in some regions of France.
Neotinea ustulata, the burnt orchid or burnt-tip orchid, is a European terrestrial orchid native to mountains in central and southern Europe, growing at up to 2,400 m (7,900 ft) elevation. The plant is considered Endangered in Great Britain and Least Concern internationally based on IUCN Red List criteria. The burnt-tip orchid was voted the county flower of Wiltshire in 2002 following a poll by the wild flora conservation charity Plantlife.
Erythronium americanum, the trout lily, yellow trout lily, or yellow dogtooth violet, is a species of perennial, colony forming, spring ephemeral flower native to North America and dwelling in woodland habitats. Within its range it is a very common and widespread species, especially in eastern North America. The common name "trout lily" refers to the appearance of its gray-green leaves mottled with brown or gray, which allegedly resemble the coloring of brook trout.
Epipactis palustris, the marsh helleborine, is a species of orchid native to Europe and Asia.
Spiranthes romanzoffiana, commonly known as hooded lady's tresses or Irish lady's-tresses, is a species of orchid. Collected by Chamisso during the Romanzov expedition it was described by him in 1828 and named for Count Nikolay Rumyantsev who financed the expedition. This orchid is native to North America, Ireland and the British Isles.
Hammarbya paludosa is a small orchid commonly known as bog orchid, bog adder's-mouth or bog adder's-mouth orchid. It grows in bogs in temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Microtis media, commonly known as the common mignonette orchid, is a species of herbaceous plants of the family Orchidaceae endemic to the south–west of Western Australia. It has a single tubular leaf and up to one hundred small, yellowish green flowers arranged along the flowering stem.
Agrimonia parviflora is a species of perennial herbaceous flowering plant. Small-flowered agrimony, harvestlice agrimony, swamp agrimony, and harvestlice are its most common names in the United States.
Serapias vomeracea, common name long-lipped serapias or the plow-share serapias, is a species of orchid in the genus Serapias.
Neotinea is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is native to much of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and the islands of the eastern Atlantic, from the Canaries, Madeira and Ireland east to Iran and Western Siberia.
Setaria parviflora is a species of grass known by the common names marsh bristlegrass, knotroot bristle-grass, bristly foxtail and yellow bristlegrass. It is native to North America, including Mexico and the United States from California to the East Coast, Central America and the West Indies, and South America.
Microtis media subsp. densiflora, commonly known as the dense mignonette orchid, is a species of orchid which is endemic to the south–west of Western Australia. It has a single smooth, tubular leaf and a flowering spike with up to one hundred and fifty small yellowish-green flowers. It differs from Microtis media subsp. media in the shape of its flower spike and the shape of its labellum.
Boronia parviflora, commonly known as the swamp boronia, small boronia, tiny boronia, or small-flowered boronia, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic south-eastern Australia. It is a weak, low shrub with elliptic to egg-shaped leaves with finely toothed edges and up to three pink, white or green four-petalled flowers arranged at or near the ends of the stems.
Saharan dust is an aeolian mineral dust from the Sahara desert, the largest hot desert in the world. The desert spans just over 9 million square kilometers, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, from the Mediterranean sea to the Niger River valley and the Sudan region in the south.
Media related to Serapias parviflora at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Serapias parviflora at Wikispecies