Originally created as a genetic experiment (in 1962), ophrys x pietzschii has since occurred naturally, and takes equal characteristics from its two parent species, the bee orchid and the fly orchid.
Common name:
Fly-bee hybrid orchid
Family:
Scientific name:
Ophrys x pietzschii
Main flower color:
Range:
Three sites only; Selsley Common in Gloucestershire, near Arundel in West Sussex, and at Maperton Ridge in Somerset
Height:
Up to 20 inches
Habitat:
Calcareous grassland
Flowers:
Up to ten per stem, at alternate intervals, The three sepals are similar in size and position to those of the bee orchid, not generally as deep pink in colour, while the two upper petals are narrow, positioned in between the sepals, like those of the fly orchid. The lower petal is mostly red with a silver patch across the center (like the fly orchid), and fuzzy side lobes, similar to the bee orchid
Leaves:
Greyish-green, narrowly elliptical, in a basal rosette
Season:
May to June
Rarity:
★★★★★
