Family |
Orchidaceae
Neotinea maculata
(Desf.) Stearn
Neotinea maculata (Desf.) Stearn
First published in Ann. Mus. Goulandris 2: 79 (1974 publ. 1975).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, p. 327, Pl. CVII, 3; 1966)
Description
Life-form & habit: Perennial orchid with ovoid, often stalked tubers and a slender, smooth, upright stem 9–32 cm tall.
Leaves: Two to four basal leaves form a rosette above one to three bladeless sheaths; the few stem leaves are very short. Mouterde describes the regional leaves as lacking dark spots.
Inflorescence & flowers: Narrow, many-flowered spike, often somewhat one-sided. Flowers very small, white or pale pink; sepals 3–4 mm long form a hood, with the narrow petals held against them. Lip narrowly oblong, divided for about two-thirds of its length into three lobes; the middle lobe is longer than the lateral lobes. Spur very short and pouch-shaped.
Flowering and habitat
Phenology: March–April.
Habitat & elevation: Woodland and scrub.
Distribution
Lebanese distribution: Abey, Nahr Damour, Aley, Mkalles, Araya, Souq el Gharb, Hiyate, Broummana, Bikfaya, Yahchouche and Jabal Akroum; also recorded at Kfertay.
Native range: Algeria, Baleares, Canary Is., Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Madeira, Morocco, NW. Balkan Pen., Palestine, Portugal, Sardegna, Sicilia, Spain, Tunisia, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe.
Kew separately records this species as extinct in Great Britain.
⚠️ Taxonomic note:
Mouterde uses Neotinea intacta (Link) Reichb. and explicitly cites Orchis intacta Link. Kew lists Orchis intacta among the synonyms of the accepted Neotinea maculata.