East Mediterranean Orchids 2010

[Oron Peri]

The first species to flower here is Orchis saccata usually starting at the end of January but due to the hot weather it blooms much earlier this year.
It is common in the Eastern Mediterranean.

[Hristo]

Now that's a stunner Oron, would you have a photograph of the habitat? Looks very lush just now.

[Sinchets]

Very nice indeed, Oron. Is that a red anemone in the distance?

[Oron Peri]

Simon ,
 you have good eyes, it is Anemone coronaria, there are many of it already in that area.

Chris,
This photos were taken on the Mediterranean coast, it grows in firm sand between sandy rocks often at the base of Coridothymus capitatus and Pistacia lentiscus in company of Iris palaestina, Anemone coronaria, Narcissus serotinus and Cyclamen persicum.
I'll have to look for a photo of the habitat...
By the way O. saccata got its name from its white sack.

[krisderaeymaeker]

Very nice orchid Oron ,and an excellent picture to .
We have to wait some time here to see orchids in flower.
Thanks to declare the latin name wich is very usefull to .
The leaves of my O.italica -cultivated in a greenhouse -are damaged due the frost .
Other years its looks much better ,but frost keep going now.

[Hristo]

Cheers for the info Oron, a rather attractive community by all accounts!

[Joakim B]

Very nice Oron
Even if it is by the Mediterranean do this plant get frost? Sometimes cold air comes down from the mountains in the eastern part but maybe not so that these  get frost. Here in Portugal there is sometimes frost on the ground but normally frost free. I have not been looking here to see any of the orchids here this year yet. I think it is a bit early but will have to check with friends with better knowledge.
Nice to have the year started.

Kind regards
Joakim

[Oron Peri]

Very nice Oron
Even if it is by the Mediterranean do this plant get frost?

Joakim, 'Frost' is a word we hardly ever use here... we might get a day or two of frost during winter in the the northern vallies.

Yesterday i took these photos of Orchis israelitica, an endemic species growing only in the Galilee region.
The other is Ophrys israelitica, a well known species in the east Med.

[Joakim B]

Very nice ones.
The ophrys does not look that far from the fusca iricolor omegaifera complex and the latter two are in my flora reported in Israel bur it does not talk about israelitica  but it might be a question about the one I have not being up to date (Buttler from 1991) Very nice one this.
Liked the Orchis as well. The one I have in the flora is with more spots and litle pink but "Yours" look better. Did You see any variation in the plants?

Thanks for the very nice pics.

Kind regards
Joakim

[Hristo]

Super pics once again Oron!
Joakim, it would appear Ophrys israelitica is a sub species of omegaifera, the latter once being iregarded a ssp. of fusca.
Just gotta love the genus Ophrys!!

[Joakim B]

Chris thanks for the information.
The question is how many there will be in the future? I do not know how many species it is in the new Ophrys book but I think it is few, 20-30 rather than 200-300 as some have it to be. We will probably wait quiet a while until there is a consensus about the number.
Kind regards
Joakim

[Hristo]

Hi Joakim, yes a forumist ( sorry can't remember forum name ) mentioned last year that recent genetic studies had revealed little significant difference at the genetic level between many of the so called species. I guess we will end up with 20-30 species as you suggest, but with hundreds of forms or variations.