The genus ''Ophrys'' is a large group of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...

s from the alliance

Orchis ''Orchis'' is a genus in the orchid family (Orchidaceae), occurring mainly in Europe and Northwest Africa, and ranging as far as Tibet, Mongolia, and Xinjiang. The name is from the Ancient Greek ὄρχις ''orchis'', meaning "testicle", from ...

in the subtribe

Orchidinae Orchideae is a tribe of orchids in the subfamily Orchidoideae. Historically, it was divided into 2 subtribes, Orchidinae and Habenariinae. The subtribe Orchidinae alone contains about 1,800 species. However, although some phylogenetic studies hav ...

. They are widespread across much of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

, the Canary Islands, and the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

as far east as

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> These plants are remarkable in that they successfully reproduce through

pseudocopulation Pseudocopulation describes behaviors similar to copulation that serve a reproductive function for one or both participants but do not involve actual sexual union between the individuals. It is most generally applied to a pollinator attempting to co ...

, that is, their flowers mimic female insects to such a degree that amorous males are fooled into mating with the flowers, thereby pollinating them. There are many natural hybrids. They are referred to as the "bee orchids" due to the flowers of some species resemblance to the furry bodies of bees and other

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

s. Their scientific name ''Ophrys'' is the Greek word for "eyebrow", referring to the furry edges of the lips of several species. ''Ophrys'' was first mentioned in the book "Natural History" by

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...

(23-79 AD).

Biology

They are

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

or ground

s from central to South

, North

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

, up to the

Caucasus Mountains The Caucasus Mountains, : pronounced * hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ, : pronounced * az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced * rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ * tr, Kafkas Dağla ...

, but mostly in the

Mediterranean region In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and wa ...

. They have been said to be the most important group of European terrestrial orchids. During summer, all ''Ophrys'' orchids are dormant as underground bulbous

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growin ...

s, which serve as a food reserve. In late summer/autumn they develop a rosette of leaves. Also a new tuber starts to grow and matures until the following spring; the old tuber slowly dies. The next spring the flowering stem starts to grow. During flowering the leaves have already started to wither. Most ''Ophrys'' orchids are dependent on symbiotic

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

. Transplanting specimens, especially wild specimens, is difficult, sometimes impossible, due to this symbiosis unless a large amount of surrounding earth is also taken with the plant. All orchids are protected under CITES II and should not be removed or disturbed in habitat. The shiny, basal leaves have a green or bluish color. Two to twelve flowers grow on an erect stem with basal leaves. These species are successfully cultivated by specialist growers of terrestrial orchids and are reported to be difficult to grow, being sensitive to rotting and damping off diseases if not properly subjected to a cool and dry aestivation period over the summer months with no water.

Pollination

Orchids of the genus ''Ophrys'' use sexual deception to attract pollinators to their flowers. In sexual deception, an orchid attracts male pollinators by producing the sex pheromone of virgin female pollinators in addition to providing visual and tactile cues (Schiestl 2005; Schluter et al. 2009; Stokl et al. 2009). These signals stimulate mating behavior in the male pollinators, which then attempt copulation, called “pseudocopulation”, with the orchid labellum (Schluter et al. 2009). During pseudocopulation, pollen from the flower's column becomes attached to some part of the pollinator, usually the head or abdomen, and the pollinator inadvertently carries and transfers this pollen to other flowers when they are once again enticed into pseudocopulation. While the morphological cues such as the shape and texture of the labellum play a role especially at close range in inducing the pollinator mating behavior, the orchid's pheromone mimic, or allomone, has been shown to play the most important role in enticing pollinators to the flower (Schiestl 2005; Schluter et al. 2009). The

allomone An allomone (from Ancient Greek ' "other" and pheromone) is a type of semiochemical produced and released by an individual of one species that affects the behaviour of a member of another species to the benefit of the originator but not the rec ...

produced by an orchid is specific to its pollinator, of which it usually only has one (Ayasse et al. 2007; Gogler et al. 2009, Schluter et al. 2009). The

is a mixture of

alkenes In organic chemistry, an alkene is a hydrocarbon containing a carbon–carbon double bond. Alkene is often used as synonym of olefin, that is, any hydrocarbon containing one or more double bonds.H. Stephen Stoker (2015): General, Organic, an ...

and

alkanes In organic chemistry, an alkane, or paraffin (a historical trivial name that also has other meanings), is an acyclic saturated hydrocarbon. In other words, an alkane consists of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in a tree structure in whi ...

(Schiestl and Cozzolino 2008). There are one or more active species in this mixture that account for the attraction of pollinators (Vereeken and Schiestl 2008). Pollinators and orchids use the same chemical compounds in the same absolute amounts in their

pheromones A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavio ...

and allomones, respectively (Schiestl 2008). Every ''Ophrys'' orchid has its own pollinator insect and is completely dependent on this species for its survival. Duped males are less likely to return and may ignore other plants of the same species. Only about 10% of an ''Ophrys'' population gets pollinated. This is enough to preserve the population, since each ''Ophrys'' orchid produces about 12,000 minute seeds.

Species

Almost 2,000 names have been proposed for species, subspecies, and "

nothospecies #REDIRECT Hybrid name In botanical nomenclature, a hybrid may be given a hybrid name, which is a special kind of botanical name, but there is no requirement that a hybrid name should be created for plants that are believed to be of hybrid origin. T ...

" (i.e. species of

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

origin) within the genus. The number of species recognized varies very widely between authorities. ''Flora Europaea'' in 1980 and Pedersen & Faurholdt in 2007 listed about 20 species in Europe as a whole; Buttler in 1991 increased this to 53 for slightly larger geographical area; Delforge in 1995 gave a total of 130 species. By contrast, a molecular phylogenetic study in 2008 suggested that there were around 10 distinguishable groups. The need for further study is indicated. For the moment (May 2014), we follow the lead of Kew Botanical Garden's, the ''World Checklist of Selected Plant Families'' in provisionally recognizing the following taxa:Search for "Ophrys", Orchidaceae - Ophrys apifera-4

*''

Ophrys apifera ''Ophrys apifera'', known in Europe as the bee orchid, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the family Orchidaceae. It serves as an example of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, as well as of a highly selective and highly evolved ...

'' Huds. – Bee orchid - Central and southern

, east to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

*'' Ophrys × arachnitiformis'' Gren. & Philippe - False spider orchid (hybrid ''O. fuciflora × O. sphegodes)'' - western and central Europe from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

and

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

*'' Ophrys argolica'' H.Fleischm. – Argolian bee-orchid **''Ophrys argolica'' subsp. ''aegaea'' (Kalteisen & H. R. Reinhard) H. A. Pedersen & Faurh. -

Greek islands Greece has many islands, with estimates ranging from somewhere around 1,200 to 6,000, depending on the minimum size to take into account. The number of inhabited islands is variously cited as between 166 and 227. The largest Greek island by a ...

**''Ophrys argolica'' subsp. ''argolica'' -

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

**''Ophrys argolica'' subsp. ''biscutella'' (O. Danesch & E. Danesch) Kreutz - southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

**''Ophrys argolica'' subsp. ''crabronifera'' (Sebast. & Mauri) Faurh. - central and southern

**''Ophrys argolica'' subsp. ''elegans'' (Renz) E. Nelson -

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

**''Ophrys argolica'' subsp. ''lesbis'' (Gölz & H. R. Reinhard) H. A. Pedersen & Faurh. - western

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

and the

Greek Islands Greece has many islands, with estimates ranging from somewhere around 1,200 to 6,000, depending on the minimum size to take into account. The number of inhabited islands is variously cited as between 166 and 227. The largest Greek island by a ...

**''Ophrys argolica'' subsp. ''lucis'' (Kalteisen & H. R. Reinhard) H. A. Pedersen & Faurh. -

, Syria,

*'' Ophrys atlantica'' Munby – Atlantic Bee-orchid -

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

*'' Ophrys bertolonii'' Moretti – Bertoloni's bee-orchid - from

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

*'' Ophrys bombyliflora'' Link – Bumblebee orchid - Mediterranean Basin and Canary Islands *'' Ophrys cilicica'' Schltr. – Cilician bee-orchid -

, Syria,

(note that

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coa ...

means southern

) *'' Ophrys ferrum-equinum'' Desf. – Horseshoe bee-orchid -

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

**''Ophrys ferrum-equinum'' subsp. ''ferrum-equinum'' -

**''Ophrys ferrum-equinum'' subsp. ''gottfriediana'' (Renz) E.Nelson - Greece *'' Ophrys fuciflora'' (F.W.Schmidt) Moench – Late spider-orchid - from Britain to Iraq **''Ophrys fuciflora'' subsp. ''andria'' (P.Delforge) Faurh. -

**''Ophrys fuciflora'' subsp. ''apulica'' O.Danesch & E.Danesch - southern Italy including

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

**''Ophrys fuciflora'' subsp. ''biancae'' (Tod.) Faurh. - Sicily **''Ophrys fuciflora'' subsp. ''bornmuelleri'' (M.Schulze) B.Willing & E.Willing - Turkey, Cyprus, Greek islands, Syria, Palestine, Israel, Iraq **''Ophrys fuciflora'' subsp. ''candica'' E.Nelson ex Soó - southern Italy including Sicily, plus Greece and Turkey **''Ophrys fuciflora'' subsp. ''chestermanii'' (J. J. Wood) H. Blatt & W. Wirth -

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

**''Ophrys fuciflora'' subsp. ''elatior'' (Paulus) R. Engel & Quentin Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy,

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

**''Ophrys fuciflora'' subsp. ''fuciflora'' - from Britain to Syria **''Ophrys fuciflora'' subsp. ''grandiflora'' (H. Fleischm. & Soó) Faurh. - Turkey, Cyprus **''Ophrys fuciflora'' subsp. ''lacaitae'' (Lojac.) Soó -

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

**''Ophrys fuciflora'' subsp. ''oblita'' (Kreutz, Gügel & W. Hahn) Faurh., H. A. Pedersen & S. G. Christ - Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Israel **''Ophrys fuciflora'' subsp. ''oxyrrhynchos'' (Tod.) Soó - southern Italy including Sicily **''Ophrys fuciflora'' subsp. ''pallidiconi'' Faurh. - Turkey **''Ophrys fuciflora'' subsp. ''parvimaculata'' O. Danesch & E. Danesch - Italy **''Ophrys fuciflora ''var''. ziyaretiana'' (Kreutz & Ruedi Peter) Faurh. & H. A. Pedersen - Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Israel Ophrys fusca Mallorca 02

*'' Ophrys fusca'' Link – Sombre bee-orchid, dark bee-orchid - from Portugal to Turkey **''Ophrys fusca'' subsp. ''blitopertha'' (Paulus & Gack) Faurh. & H.A.Pedersen - Turkey, Greek islands **''Ophrys fusca'' subsp. ''cinereophila'' (Paulus & Gack) Faurh.- Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria **''Ophrys fusca'' subsp. ''fusca'' - from Portugal to Turkey **''Ophrys fusca'' subsp. ''iricolor'' (Desf.) K.Richt. - from Portugal to Turkey **''Ophrys fusca'' subsp. ''pallida'' (Raf.) E. G. Camus in E. G. Camus & A. A. Camus - Sicily, Tunisia, Algeria *''

Ophrys insectifera ''Ophrys insectifera'', the fly orchid, is a species of orchid and the type species of the genus ''Ophrys''. It is remarkable as an example of the use of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, as well as a highly selective and highly ...

'' L. – Fly orchid - much of Europe from Spain to Russia and Finland **''Ophrys insectifera'' nothosubsp. ''tytecaeana'' P. Delforge - France **''Ophrys insectifera'' subsp. ''aymoninii'' Breistr. France, Spain **''Ophrys insectifera'' subsp. ''insectifera'' - much of Europe from Spain to Russia and Finland *'' Ophrys isaura'' Renz & Taubenheim - Turkey *'' Ophrys kojurensis'' Gölz - Iran *'' Ophrys konyana'' Kreutz & Ruedi Peter - Turkey *'' Ophrys kopetdagensis'' K.P. Popov & Neshat. -

*'' Ophrys kotschyi'' H. Fleischm. & Soó – Cyprus bee-orchid, Kotschy's bee-orchid - Greece, Cyprus **''Ophrys kotschyi'' subsp. ''ariadnae'' (Paulus) Faurh. - Greek islands and mainland **''Ophrys kotschyi'' subsp. ''cretica'' (Soó) H.Sund. - Crete and other Greek islands **''Ophrys kotschyi'' subsp. ''kotschyi'' –

*'' Ophrys kreutzii'' W.Hahn - Turkey *'' Ophrys lepida'' S. Moingeon & J.-M. Moingeon -

*'' Ophrys lunulata'' Parl. - Sicily Ophrys lutea (flower)

*'' Ophrys lutea'' Cav. – Yellow bee-orchid - from Portugal and Morocco to Syria **''Ophrys lutea'' subsp. ''aspea'' (Devillers-Tersch. & Devillers) Faurh. - Tunisia, Libya **''Ophrys lutea'' subsp. ''galilaea'' (H. Fleischm. & Bornm.) Soó - from Portugal and Morocco to Syria **''Ophrys lutea'' subsp. ''lutea'' - from Portugal and Morocco to Turkey **''Ophrys lutea'' subsp. ''melena'' Renz - Greece, Albania *'' Ophrys lycia'' Renz & Taubenheim - Turkey *'' Ophrys omegaifera'' H. Fleischm. – Omega bee-orchid - from Portugal and Morocco to Syria **''Ophrys omegaifera ''var''. basilissa'' (C. Alibertis, A. Alibertis & H.R. Reinhard) Faurh - Greece **''Ophrys omegaifera'' subsp. ''dyris'' (Maire) Del Prete - Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Balearic Islands **''Ophrys omegaifera'' subsp. ''fleischmannii'' (Hayek) Del Prete - Crete and other Greek islands **''Ophrys omegaifera'' subsp. ''hayekii'' (H. Fleischm. & Soó) Kreutz - Sicily, Algeria, Tunisia **''Ophrys omegaifera'' subsp. ''israelitica'' (H. Baumann & Künkele) G. Morschek & K. Morschek - Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece **''Ophrys omegaifera'' subsp. ''omegaifera'' - Turkey, Greek islands **''Ophrys omegaifera'' subsp. ''apollonae'' or '' Ophrys apollonae'' - Greek islands, Turkey *'' Ophrys pseudomammosa'' Renz - Turkey, Greece Ophrys reinholdii Rhodos 05

*'' Ophrys reinholdii'' Spruner ex Fleischm. – Reinhold's bee-orchid - from

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

to Turkey **''Ophrys reinholdii'' subsp. ''antiochiana'' (H. Baumann & Künkele) H.Baumann & R.Lorenz - Turkey, Syria **''Ophrys reinholdii'' subsp. ''reinholdii'' - from

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

to Turkey **''Ophrys reinholdii'' subsp. ''straussii'' (H. Fleischm.) E. Nelson - Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Cyprus, Greek islands *'' Ophrys schulzei'' Bornm. & Fleischm. - Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon *'' Ophrys scolopax'' Cav. – Woodcock bee-orchid - from Morocco and Portugal to Hungary and Iran **''Ophrys scolopax'' subsp. ''apiformis'' (Desf.) Maire & Weiller - Spain, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco **''Ophrys scolopax'' subsp. ''conradiae'' (Melki & Deschâtres) H.Baumann & al. - Corsica, Sardinia, Italy **''Ophrys scolopax'' subsp. ''cornuta'' (Steven) E.G. Camus - Italy, Hungary, the Balkans, Crimea, Turkey,

**''Ophrys scolopax'' subsp. ''heldreichii'' (Schltr.) E.Nelson Greece, Turkey **''Ophrys scolopax ''var''. minutula'' (Gölz & H.R. Reinhard) H.A. Pedersen & Faurh - Turkey, Greek islands **''Ophrys scolopax'' subsp. ''rhodia'' (H.Baumann & Künkele) H.A. Pedersen & Faurh. - Greek islands **''Ophrys scolopax'' subsp. ''scolopax'' - from Portugal to Iran Ophrys speculum (flower detail)

*'' Ophrys speculum'' Link – Mirror bee-orchid, mirror orchid - from Portugal to Syria **''Ophrys speculum'' subsp. ''lusitanica'' O.Danesch & E.Danesch - Spain, Portugal **''Ophrys speculum'' subsp. ''regis-ferdinandii'' (Acht. & Kellerer ex Renz) Soó - Turkey, Greek islands **''Ophrys speculum'' subsp. ''speculum'' - from Portugal to Syria *''

Ophrys sphegodes ''Ophrys sphegodes'', commonly known as the early spider-orchid, is a species of sexually-deceptive orchid native to Europe and the Middle East. It is a very varied species with many subspecies recognised. Description Plant height varies with l ...

'' Mill. – Early spider-orchid - from Britain and Portugal to Iran **''Ophrys sphegodes'' nothosubsp. ''jeanpertii'' (E.G. Camus) Del Prete & Conte - France, Spain, Balkans ''(O. sphegodes ''subsp''. araneola × O. sphegodes ''subsp''. sphegodes)'' **''Ophrys sphegodes'' subsp. ''aesculapii'' (Renz) Soó ex J.J.Wood - Greece **''Ophrys sphegodes'' subsp. ''araneola'' (Rchb.) M.Laínz - Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, Yugoslavia **''Ophrys sphegodes'' subsp. ''atrata'' (Rchb.f.) A.Bolòs - from Portugal to Serbia **''Ophrys sphegodes'' subsp. ''aveyronensis'' J.J.Wood - France, Spain **''Ophrys sphegodes'' subsp. ''catalcana'' Kreutz - European Turkey **''Ophrys sphegodes'' subsp. ''cretensis'' H.Baumann & Künkele - Crete and other Greek islands **''Ophrys sphegodes'' subsp. ''epirotica'' (Renz) Gölz & H.R.Reinhard - Albania, Greece **''Ophrys sphegodes'' subsp. ''gortynia'' H.Baumann & Künkele - Crete and other Greek islands **''Ophrys sphegodes'' subsp. ''helenae'' (Renz) Soó & D.M.Moore - Albania, Greece **''Ophrys sphegodes'' subsp. ''mammosa'' (Desf.) Soó ex E.Nelson - from the Balkans to

**''Ophrys sphegodes'' subsp. ''passionis'' (Sennen) Sanz & Nuet - France, Spain, Sardinia, Sicily, mainland Italy **''Ophrys sphegodes'' subsp. ''sipontensis'' (R.Lorenz & Gembardt) H.A.Pedersen & Faurh. - Apulia **''Ophrys sphegodes'' subsp. ''sphegodes'' - from Britain and Spain to Hungary and the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

**''Ophrys sphegodes'' subsp. ''spruneri'' (Nyman) E.Nelson - Crete and other Greek islands Ophrys tenthredinifera (flower)

*'' Ophrys tenthredinifera'' Willd. - from Portugal and Morocco to Turkey *'' Ophrys tremoris'' Gämperle & Gölz - Turkey *'' Ophrys ulupinara'' W.Hahn - Turkey *'' Ophrys umbilicata'' Desf. - from the Balkans to Iran **''Ophrys umbilicata'' subsp. ''beerii'' Shifman - Israel **''Ophrys umbilicata'' subsp. ''bucephala'' (Gölz & H.R.Reinhard) Biel - Turkey and the Greek islands **''Ophrys umbilicata'' subsp. ''calycadniensis'' Perschke - Turkey **''Ophrys umbilicata'' subsp. ''flavomarginata'' (Renz) Faurh. - Cyprus, Syria, Israel **''Ophrys umbilicata'' subsp. ''lapethica'' (Gölz & H.R.Reinhard) Faurh. - Cyprus **''Ophrys umbilicata'' subsp. ''latakiana'' (M.Schönfelder & H.Schönfelder) Faurh. & H.A.Pedersen - Turkey, Syria **''Ophrys umbilicata'' subsp. ''umbilicata'' - from the Balkans to Iran *'' Ophrys urteae'' Paulus - Turkey *'' Ophrys zagrica'' Gölz - Iran Ophrys sulcata MHNT

In popular culture

Sexually deceptive orchids in the genus ''Ophrys'' feature in the 2002 movie, ' Adaptation', written by

Charlie Kaufman Charles Stuart Kaufman (; born November 19, 1958) is an American filmmaker and novelist. He wrote the films '' Being John Malkovich'' (1999), '' Adaptation'' (2002), and '' Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' (2004). He made his directorial ...

. The film follows a screenwriter attempting to adapt the novel '

The Orchid Thief ''The Orchid Thief'' is a 1998 non-fiction book by American journalist Susan Orlean, based on her investigation of the 1994 arrest of horticulturist John Laroche and a group of Seminoles in south Florida for poaching rare orchids in the Faka ...

' into a movie screenplay. The species appearing in the movie may be '' Ophrys speculum''. The naturalist David Attenborough discusses the unusual pollination systems among ''Ophrys'' orchids in his 1995

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

Biology

Pollination

Species

In popular culture

References

External links