Flowers of epipactis palustris are sometimes more yellow, without any purple colouration; this is var ochroleuca.
Common name:
Marsh helleborine
Family:
Scientific name:
Epipactis palustris
Main flower color:
Range:
Most of England, Ireland and Wales, though only locally common
Height:
Up to 50 cm
Habitat:
Dune slacks, fens, bogs, and wet, calcareous grassland
Flowers:
Flowers have three greenish-purple sepals, the middle positioned above the two upper, whitish petals. The extended lower petal has a cup-shaped inner section (the hypochile), white with red veins, containing yellow pollen, while the outer section (the epichile) is white with frilly edges, and a yellow patch at the centre. Flowers are produced in an open cluster, of up to 15, on stems which have a covering of downy hairs.
Leaves:
Lanceolate to oval, up to 15 cm long, strongly veined, folded up along the centre line
Season:
July to August
Rarity:
★★★★★
