Dactylorhiza fuchsii, the common spotted orchid, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae. It is one of Europe's most common wild orchids, and is widespread across much of Europe, with the range extending eastward into Siberia, Mongolia and Xinjiang. The species is also reportedly naturalised in the Canadian Province of Ontario.

Description

Dactylorhiza fuchsii is a herbaceous perennial plant ranging from in height. The inflorescence is a dense-flowered spike, produced in June–August, that is at first conical then cylindrical. The flower colour can vary from white to pale purple with purple spots, a symmetrical pattern of dark purple loops or dots and dashes. The lip has three lobes. The bracts are usually shorter than the flower. The lip is smaller than that of the very similar Dactylorhiza maculata and has three deeper cuts. The middle lobe is more than half as large as a lateral lobe. Some colonies are highly perfumed, attractive to day-flying moths. The leaves are narrow lanceolate, keeled and often dark-spotted.

Identification

It is similar to other orchids in the Dactylorhiza maculata group. D. maculata ssp. maculata is distinguished by having the lip less deeply trilobed, while D. maculata subsp. saccifera has one spur large and saccular (sac-shaped) and the bracts of the inflorescence as long as or longer than the flowers. Outside of the "maculata group", D. majalis is very similar to D. fuchsii, but is distinguished by the following characteristics: the spots of the leaves are less elongated, the bracts of the inflorescence are longer and the lower transcend the inflorescence itself; it tends to be less cylindrical (a little more 'globular'), the stem is hollow (not solid) and the leaves are slightly larger. Other similar orchids are D. incarnata and D. majalis subsp. lapponica, but these species have hollow stems and different habitat (fens and bogs).

Distribution and habitat

Dactylorhiza fuchsii is a Eurosiberian species occurring over Europe from Ireland in the west eastwards to Mongolia, the Altai Mountains and across northern Asia.

Dactylorhiza fuchsii forms mycorrhizal associations with fungi in the Tulasnellaceae and Ceratobasidium groups.

Taxonomy

Dactylorhiza is Ancient Greek for finger root, referring to the shape of the plant's roots. The subspecies name fuchsii honours the 16th-century German botanist Leonhart Fuchs. The English name 'common spotted' refers to the species' abundance and the spots on its leaves. The French and German common names also honour Leonhart Fuchs.

This plant belongs to a problematic group of orchids. D. fuchsii is very variable in flower colour and flower morphology, plant height and the scent of flowers. This is due to the ease of introgression (the transfer of genetic material from one sympatric species to another, only partially isolated from the first, through interspecific hybridization and repeated backcrossing to a parental species), the ability of these plants to adapt quickly and easily to habitat and different substrates and possibly other causes. As a result, a multitude of forms have been defined for this plant. The World Checklist of Kew Gardens lists over 25 varieties, of which 7 are recognized as valid.

Hybrids

Hybrids with other species of the same genus are frequent. Species include:

  • Dactylorhiza majalis <small>(Rchb.) PFHunt & Summerh.</small>
  • Dactylorhiza traunsteineri <small>(Saut. ex Rchb.)</small>
  • Dactylorhiza incarnata <small>(L.) Soó</small> subsp. ochroleuca

This plant hybridizes easily with species of different genera (intergeneric hybridization). The list below shows some of these intergeneric hybrids (these hybrids are not always recognized by all botanists):

  • ×Dactylodenia lawalreei <small>P.Delforge & D.Tyteca</small> – hybrid with Gymnadenia odoratissima
  • ×Dactylodenia st-quintinii <small>(Godfery) J. Duvigneaud in De Langhe et al.</small> – hybrid with Gymnadenia conopsea
  • ×Rhizanthera martysiensis <small>Balayer</small> – hybrid with Platanthera chlorantha

<gallery mode="packed" heights="220">

Dactylorhiza fuchsii alba - Käesalu.jpg|D. fuchsii var. alba, a white-flowered form

Dactylorhiza fuchsii hebridensis 01.jpg|D. fuchsii subsp. hebridensis

Dactylorhiza fuchsii okellyi 02.jpg|D. fuchsii subsp. okellyi

Mg-k d1002355 dactylorhiza fuchsii x gymnadenia conopsea.jpg|×Dactylodenia st-quintinii, a hybrid between D. fuchsii and Gymnadenia conopsea

</gallery>

References

  • World Checklist of Monocotyledons, Kew Botanical Gardens
  • Manfred Hennecke