EPIPACTIS PALUSTRIS (L.) Crantz – Marsh Helleborine

Syn.: Serapias longifolia L., Epipactis longifolia All.
Family: Orchidaceae Juss.

Distribution: Europe (except the northernmost and southernmost areas), Northern Africa, Western and Central Asia.
Habitat: Grows in wet meadows, fens, springs, on seeping banks – non-forest biotope, from lowlands to mountains.
Description: Perennial herb with an erect stem, 25–50 cm high. The leaves are oblong lanceolate up to 18 cm long. Inflorescence is lax, flowers 10 to 20, to 25 mm across, greenish sepals, creamy petals, lip white with reddish veins. Flowers from June to August. The fruit is a capsule.
Endangering and Protection: The Marsh Helleborine is a strictly protected plant in some countries (CZ, SK), simultaneously is protected by Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).



Photos: from 21. 5. to 6. 7. 2003 (the Czech Republic, Brno, Hády a Obůrky-Třeštěnec).