The lady-monkey hybrid orchid is a generally taller and more robust plant than its two parent species
Common name:
Lady-monkey orchid
Family:
Scientific name:
Orchis x angusticruris
Main flower color:
Range:
Hartslock Nature Reserve, Oxfordshire
Height:
Up to 70 cm
Habitat:
Short chalk grassland
Flowers:
Produced in dense clusters, of 50 or more. Flowers vary in colour from nearly white to dark pink, similar to the monkey orchid, but not the burnt red of the lady orchid. The hood formed by the three sepals is white with dense purple blotches, while the lip has thin, linear 'arms', like the monkey orchid, and wider, shorter 'legs', though not as wide as the 'skirt' of the lady orchid. The centre of the lip is flecked with short purple hairs. Between the legs is a short 'tail'
Leaves:
Greyish-green, broadly ovate, ribbed, in a basal rosette and sheathing the lower portion of the stem
Season:
April to May
Rarity:
★★★★★
