Epipactis purpurata
Epipactis purpurata Sm.
Orchidaceae – Orchid family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B2ab(ii,iv)]. BDA, CITES (2).
Morphology and biology. Perennial plant with long, sometimes branched rhizome. Stems 1(5), 20–70 cm, olive green, with distinct violet tinge. Leaves 4–8, narrow to ovate-lanceolate, sheathing, the largest ones 5–9 × 1.5–3 cm. Inflorescence with 12–25(30) slightly aromatic flowers, axis violet-tinged, shortly pubescent. Sepals and petals 8–12 × 4–5 mm, green to whitish, with violet tinge, silky and shining, labellum 8–10 mm; hypochile hemispherical, rose violet; epichile cordate, curved backwards, with 2 smooth swellings, pale violet. Fl. VI, fr. VII–VIII. Insect pollination. Reproduction by seeds.
Habitats and populations. Grows in old shady beech forests, only rarely in coniferous forests, in places with deep, often clayed soil, usually on small inclinations. Reliably recorded in 8 localities until now. The currently known populations consist of solitary plants. The species can be categorized as CR C2a(i), but possibly has a wider distribution. The data deficiency is a consequence of the taxonomic difficulty of the genus, the local spread and small populations of the species.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Scattered. Single localities in Northeast Bulgaria (Shumensko Plateau), Balkan Range (Central), Vitosha Region (Lyulin Mt), Znepole Region (Golo Bardo Mt), Rhodopi Mts (Western – valley of river Lepenitsa; Central – Zarenishki ridge), Tundzha Hilly Country (near Elhovo town), Strandzha Mts (Vitanovo Strict Nature Reserve); 0–1400 m alt.
General distribution. Europe – temperate zone.
Threats. Limited distribution and low density of the populations; clear cuttings in the beech forests and their replacement with plantations of other woody species.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species by the Biodiversity Act. Three of the known localities fall in sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Studies on the distribution and population status of the rare species of the genus Epipactis; declaring some localities as protected areas.
Note. There are literature data for Slavyanka Mt and Rila Mts which need to be confirmed. Epipactis is a taxonomically difficult genus and the distribution of some of the species in the country is not clear.
References. Andreev 1992a; Petrova, Venkova, Gerasimova & Stoyanov 2002; Radoslavova 2002; Delforge 2006.
Author: Antoaneta Petrova
