Orchis-ustulata_23

Description:

Orchis ustulata L., syn: Neotinea ustulataBurnt Orchid, DE: Angebrannte Knabenkraut, Schwrzliches KnabenkrautSlo.: pikasta kukavicaDat.: May 29. 2014Lat.: 46.36053 Long.: 13.70267Code: Bot_799/2014_IMG5562Habitat: abounded mountain pasture, almost flat terrain; calcareous ground, skeletal, shallow soil, sunny and dry place, exposed to direct rain, average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year,average temperature 7-9 deg C, elevation 600 m (2.000 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: soil.Place: Lower Trenta valley, between villages Soa and Trenta, 'Na melu' place, near Trenta 2b cottage, East Julian Alps, Posoje, Slovenia EC Comment: This solitary growing, small but beautiful wild orchid grows right behind the house where I live. It is a rather common member among approximately 80 species of genus Orchis growing in Slovenia. It prefers warmer regions than narrow alpine valleys. So, it was a small surprise to find it near my home. For more than 30 years I've never seen it in this part of Trenta valley. Then, apparently to the first time, it appeared in 2007, reappeared in 2008 and 2009 and then disappeared. In 2012 I was unable to find even its leaves in spite of the fact that I knew precisely where they should be. But next year a new one appeared a few meters away of the previous place. This spring it appeared again on the same location. But not only this! I found another one some 20 m away. If this trend continues my house will be in the midst of an orchid garden after a while . Unfortunately, this is not enough to believe that botanists who claim that this species is in sharp decline in Slovenia err.Species name ustulata comes from Latin 'ustus', which means 'burnt' and relates to its flower buds, which are very dark purple, sometimes almost black, like burnt, before mature white/purple flowers develop. Its characteristic purple dots make this species very easy to recognize. Protected according to 'Uredba o zavarovanih prostoiveih rastlinskih vrstah' Ur.l. RS, t. 46/2004 (Regulation on protected wild plants, Official gazette of Republic of Slovenia, No. 46/2004). Enlisted in the Slovene Red List of rare and endangered species, marked by "V" representing a vulnerable species.Ref.:(1) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije, Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007) (in Slovene), p 781. (2) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora sterreich Liechtenstein, Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 1046.(3) H. Baumann, S. Kuenkele, R. Lorenz, Orchideen Europas, Ulmer (2006), p 256.