Family |
Orchidaceae
Spiranthes spiralis
(L.) Chevall.
Spiranthes spiralis (L.) Chevall.
First published in Fl. Gén. Env. Paris 2: 330 (1827).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, p. 323, Pl. CVI, 1; 1966)
Description
Life-form & habit: Small perennial orchid with 2–4 oblong, turnip-shaped tuberous roots and a flowering stem 8–20 cm tall, hairy toward the tip.
Leaves: One or two rosettes of hairless, oval to lanceolate, several-veined leaves arise beside the flowering stem. The stem base carries 4–8 membranous sheaths.
Inflorescence & flowers: Narrow, dense, many-flowered spike, reaching 11 cm, twisted into a single spiral. The small white flowers smell of vanilla; their nearly tubular perianth projects horizontally and is finely hairy outside. The blunt, oblong-oval lip widens slightly above the middle.
Flowering and habitat
Phenology: Flowering late September–November.
Habitat & elevation: Sand and sandstone.
Distribution
Lebanese distribution: Bir Hassan, Beirut, Nahr Beirut, Nahr el Kalb, Chemlan, below Beit Meri, Beit Meri, Bsallim, Nibaye, Araya, Kornet Chehwan, Broummana and Jabal Kneisse.
Native range: Albania, Algeria, Austria, Baleares, Belgium, Bulgaria, Corse, Cyprus, Czechia-Slovakia, Denmark, East Aegean Is., France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, North Caucasus, NW. Balkan Pen., Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sardegna, Sicilia, Spain, Switzerland, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe, Ukraine, West Himalaya.
⚠️ Taxonomic note:
Mouterde treats this species as Spiranthes autumnalis (Balb.) L.C.Rich., which Kew places in synonymy under Spiranthes spiralis.