Orchis militaris
Orchis militaris L.
Orchidaceae – Orchid family
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B2ab(iv)]. BA, CITES (2).
Morphology and biology. Perennial plant with 2 ovoid tubers. Stems 20–50 cm, with 4–6 green, elliptical leaves. Inflorescence with 10–40 flowers. Sepals and petals form a hood, whitish to pale lilac pink, pointed. Labellum pink to purple, with a lighter central part with dark hairs, deeply trilobed, lateral lobes linear, arching forwards, the middle lobe divided to 2 wide elliptical lobules. Fl. V(VI), fr. VI(VII). Insect pollination. Reproduction by seeds.
Habitats and populations. Open sunny places on stony alkaline soils, extensively used pastures, among shrubs, sometimes on forest glades. Contemporary data for 7 localities show the subpopulations are small, usually of a few, rarely up to 30–50 individuals, which cover area of less than 0.05 ha.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Locally. In the botanical literature reported for most of the floristic regions. Herbarium vouchers exist from NE Bulgaria, Danubian Plain, Forebalkan, Balkan Range, Vitosha region, Thracian Lowland and Rhodopi Mts. Since 1990 reliably documented from Balkan Range (central – Balgarka Nature Park; eastern –Sinite Kamani Nature Park), Znepole region (near Tran) and Rhodopi Mts (central – Dobrostan massif, near Laki town, Turyan and Trigrad villages); up to 1500 m alt.
General distribution. Europe and W Siberia, rare in the Mediterranean, where it is found only in mountains.
Threats. Local distribution and low densities of the populations. Possible negative factors are the afforestation with pines and grazing in the species localities during the flowering and fruiting season.
Conservation measures taken. Protected species by the Biodiversity Act. Some of the known localities are in protected areas (Sinite Kamani and Balgarka Nature Parks, Trigradsko Zhdrelo Protected Site) and in sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Research into the distribution and population state continued; monitoring of some populations and studies on the negative factors.
Note. The present threat category is based on presumed wider distribution in the country. However, it is possible that the species qualify for ‘critically endangered’ [CR B2ab(iv)].
References. Stojanov 1964; Stefanov 1973; Farrell 1985; Petrova 1995; Grozeva et al. 2004; Delforge 2006.
Author: Antoaneta Petrova
