Syn.: Dactylorhiza comosa subsp. majalis (Rchb.) P. D. Sell, Dactylorhiza fistulosa (Moench) Baumann et Künkele
Family: Orchidaceae Juss.
Distribution: Western and Central Europe, Scandinavia.
Ecology: It grows in wet and fen meadows, from lowlands to mountains.
Description: A perennial herb with an erect stem up to 50 cm high. The leaves are oblong-ovate, spotted, to 16 cm long. The flowers up to 50, dark purple-violet, rarely white, flowers from May to June. The fruit is a capsule.
Threat and Protection: The Broad-Leafed Marsh Orchid is a protected plant in some countries (A, CH, CZ, I, SK), this species is also a protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
These images were taken in Czechia, Studánky u Cerhovic, Polabská černava, Babinské louky and Prague May 20, 2002, and May 13, 2004).
