Anacamptis pyramidalis (L.) Rich.
Pyramidal Orchid
The pyramidal orchid is a native perennial orchid and one of the highlights of unimproved chalk and limestone grassland. Emerging from underground tubers, it sends up a slender stem, typically 20-50cm tall, topped in its early stages by a neat, conical spike that gives the plant its name; as more of the densely packed flowers open, the head rounds out.
About
The pyramidal orchid is a native perennial orchid and one of the highlights of unimproved chalk and limestone grassland. Emerging from underground tubers, it sends up a slender stem, typically 20-50cm tall, topped in its early stages by a neat, conical spike that gives the plant its name; as more of the densely packed flowers open, the head rounds out. The blooms are a vivid pink to magenta, each with a three-lobed lip and a long, slender nectar spur, set above narrow, greyish-green leaves.
It flowers from June into July on dry, lime-rich soils, favouring downland, old quarries, dunes, road verges and railway embankments, mainly in England and Wales and scarcer in Scotland. The long-spurred flowers are pollinated by day-flying butterflies and moths, whose tongues reach the hidden nectar. A classic indicator of species-rich grassland, it is prized in calcareous wildflower meadows and conservation sward, though, like all orchids, it depends on undisturbed soil and beneficial fungi.
Synonyms
Aceras pyramidale · Aceras pyramidalis · Aceras pyramidalis brachystachys · Anacamptis pyramidalis albiflora · Anacamptis pyramidalis brachystachys · Orchis pyramidalis
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