Family |
Orchidaceae
Dactylorhiza iberica
(M.Bieb. ex Willd.) Soó
Dactylorhiza iberica (M. Bieb. ex Willd.) Soó
(Nom. Nov. Gen. Dactylorhiza: 3; 1962 – basionym: Orchis iberica M. Bieb. ex Willd., Sp. Pl. 4: 49; 1805 – Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, Pl. XLV nº 1; 1966)
• Life-form & habit: Robust perennial terrestrial orchid, 20–60 cm tall, arising from 2–3 palmately divided tubers. Stem erect, hollow, green to purplish, often spotted near the base.
• Leaves: 4–8, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 6–20 × 1–3 cm, sheathing at base, the upper ones gradually smaller and bract-like. Foliage often spotted with dark purplish dots, particularly on the lower leaves; margins entire, apex acute.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Dense to loosely cylindrical spike, 5–15 cm long, many-flowered. Bracts lanceolate, green or purplish, often exceeding the flowers. Flowers large, 15–25 mm across, pink to purplish, rarely pale lilac; labellum 3-lobed, middle lobe slightly notched, marked with darker purple spots and loops; spur cylindrical, curved downward, about as long as the ovary. Sepals and petals forming a hood over the column; lateral sepals spreading or slightly recurved.
• Fruit: Capsule erect, ellipsoid, 10–12 mm long, containing numerous minute dust-like seeds.
• Phenology: Flowers from April to June; fruits develop from June to August.
• Habitat & elevation: Wet mountain meadows, spring-fed slopes, stream margins, and subalpine grasslands, often on calcareous soils, 1 000–2 400 m. Prefers cool, moist habitats in open light or partial shade.
• Lebanese distribution: Recorded by Mouterde from Mount Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon, particularly Barouk, Ehden, and Dahr el-Baïdar; also found in the Beqaa Valley near springs and humid clearings within the cedar belt. Locally frequent but easily overlooked outside flowering season.
• Native to: Cyprus, Greece, Iran, Krym, Lebanon, Syria, North Caucasus, Palestine, Transcaucasus, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe (POWO).
• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: Dactylorhiza iberica is a Levantine–Caucasian montane orchid, closely allied to D. romana and D. saccifera but differing in its palmate tubers, densely spotted labellum, and compact cylindrical inflorescence. It was long included under Orchis iberica before being reassigned to Dactylorhiza by Soó (1962). Mouterde noted its abundance in humid montane habitats near cedar forests, often flowering alongside Orchis laxiflora and Neotinea tridentata. Its presence in Lebanon marks the southwestern limit of the species’ range.