The bee orchid (Ophrys apifera Huds., 1762) is a plant belonging to the Orchidaceae family. The name of the genus derives from the Greek ophrys = eyebrow, perhaps because this type of flower was used to make hair and eyebrow dyes (as reported by Pliny the Elder), or perhaps because of the shape of the inner tepals, which resemble eyebrows. The specific name derives from the Latin apis = bee and fero = (to carry), with reference to the shape of the flowers.
Italian name:Bee orchid, Vesparia
Binomial nomenclature: Ophrys apifera Huds., 1762
Description Vesparia
The plant is robust and grows up to 50 cm tall, with two bulbs and adventitious roots, ovate-lanceolate or oblong basal leaves, sheathing upper leaves and bracts, longer than the ovary, ovate-lanceolate. The inflorescence groups together 3 to 12 flowers with large sepals, ranging in colour from white to purple, with a green central vein and short, pubescent, triangular petals, ranging in colour from pink to greenish. The labellum is trilobed, with two pronounced hairy humps on the lateral lobes; the median lobe is hairy, brown in colour, with a yellowish margin and a triangular appendage; it has a variable pattern, reminiscent of an insect’s abdomen, with a brownish, shiny basal area surrounded by yellow-green to purple spots. The gynostemium is at right angles, with an elongated, sigmoid apex. The flowering period is from mid-April to mid-July.
Where to find Vesparia
It is found throughout Italy and generally grows in bright woods, meadows, olive groves, cool scrubland and roadsides. The species is generally self-pollinating. The long caudicles that support the pollinia dry out and bend downwards, eventually reaching the stigma cavity, which is thus pollinated. Aesthetically, it is one of the most beautiful and striking wild orchids found on the Cammino Naturale dei Parchi (Nature Trail of the Parks).
[Photo by Stefano Mancinelli]
