''Dactylorhiza majalis'', or the broad-leaved marsh orchid, is a terrestrial

Eurasian Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents dates back to antiq ...

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. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

. Subspecies include the western marsh orchid (''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''occidentalis'') and southern marsh orchid (''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''praetermissa''). The broad-leaved marsh orchid grows mainly in

nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a Nonmetal (chemistry), nonmetal and the lightest member of pnictogen, group 15 of the periodic table, often called the Pnictogen, pnictogens. ...

-poor

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

areas that consist of several

plant communities A plant community is a collection or Association (ecology), association of plant species within a designated geographical unit, which forms a relatively uniform patch, distinguishable from neighboring patches of different vegetation types. The comp ...

. More rarely, it is found in

fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetland along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires ...

s. Its flowering period begins at lower elevations as early as the beginning of May and ends in higher elevations at the end of July. The lowest blossoms usually open even before the stem has reached its full height.

Description

On average, ''Dactylorhiza majalis'' is tall, though specimens can grow up to . Four to ten spotted

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

(either purple or

burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

in color) are distributed around the stem, which is hollow. The leaves are

ovate Ovate may refer to: * Ovate (egg-shaped) leaves, tepals, or other botanical parts *Ovate, a type of prehistoric stone hand axe * Ovates, one of three ranks of membership in the Welsh Gorsedd * Vates or ovate, a term for ancient Celtic bards ...

lanceolate The following terms are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade ...

and long by wide, and get smaller and more lanceolate as they approach the

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

. The

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...

s are about as long as the blossom and cover it before it blooms. The densely flowered inflorescence, which is approximately long, is initially conical, but distinctly cylindrical when in full blossom. The seven to fifty blossoms are colored purplish red, rarely light pink or white. The

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reproduc ...

has a palmate division and an irregular shape. The broad-leaved marsh orchid has a

karyotype A karyotype is the general appearance of the complete set of chromosomes in the cells of a species or in an individual organism, mainly including their sizes, numbers, and shapes. Karyotyping is the process by which a karyotype is discerned by de ...

of four sets of twenty

chromosome A chromosome is a package of DNA containing part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes, the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with nucleosome-forming packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells, the most import ...

s (2n = 4x = 80) and a

genome size Genome size is the total amount of DNA contained within one copy of a single complete genome. It is typically measured in terms of mass in picograms (trillionths or 10−12 of a gram, abbreviated pg) or less frequently in daltons, or as the tot ...

of 14.24 Gbp (2C). The

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

of this orchid contains no

endosperm The endosperm is a tissue produced inside the seeds of most of the flowering plants following double fertilization. It is triploid (meaning three chromosome sets per nucleus) in most species, which may be auxin-driven. It surrounds the Embryo#Pla ...

for the

embryo An embryo ( ) is the initial stage of development for a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male sp ...

. Therefore,

germination Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, ...

can take place only by means of infection with a root fungus (

mycorrhiza A mycorrhiza (; , mycorrhiza, or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plant's rhizosphere, the plant root system and its surroundings. Mycorrhizae play ...

Taxonomy

In 1828

Ludwig Reichenbach Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach (8 January 1793 – 17 March 1879) was a German botanist, ornithologist and illustrator. It was he who first requested Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, Leopold Blaschka to make a set of glass marine invertebrate m ...

described the broad-leaved marsh orchid as ''Orchis majalis''. The name became the

basionym In the scientific name of organisms, basionym or basyonym means the original name on which a new name is based; the author citation of the new name should include the authors of the basionym in parentheses. The term "basionym" is used in both botan ...

after Peter Francis Hunt and Victor Samuel Summerhayes transferred the species to the genus ''Dactylorhiza'' in 1965. Sometimes the name ''Dactylorhiza fistulosa'' is used, but since this description is not valid, the name cannot be used despite its earlier publication in 1794 as ''Orchis fistulosa''. Many

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

have been published: *''Orchis majalis'' Rchb. *''Dactylorchis majalis'' (Rchb.) Verm *''Orchis baltica'' (Klinge) A.Fuchs *''Dactylorchis baltica'' (Klinge) Verm. *''Dactylorhiza baltica'' (Klinge) N.I.Orlova *''Orchis longifolia'' Neuman *''Orchis kerryensis'' Wilmott *''Dactylorchis kerryensis'' (Wilmott) Verm. *''Dactylorhiza kerryensis'' (Wilmott) P.F.Hunt & Summerh. *''Dactylorhiza parvimajalis'' D.Tyteca & Gathoye *''Orchis occidentalis'' (Pugsley) Wilmott *''Dactylorchis occidentalis'' (Pugsley) Verm. *''Dactylorhiza occidentalis'' (Pugsley) P.Delforge *''Orchis sphagnicola'' Höppner *''Dactylorchis sphagnicola'' (Höppner) Verm. *''Dactylorhiza sphagnicola'' (Höppner) Aver. *''Dactylorchis hoeppneri'' (A.Fuchs) Verm. *''Orchis hoeppneri'' (A.Fuchs) Höppner ex Verm. *''Dactylorchis deweveri'' Verm. *''Dactylorhiza deweveri'' (Verm.) Soó *''Dactylorhiza hoeppneri'' (A.Fuchs) Soó *''Dactylorhiza sennia'' Vollmar

Subspecies and varieties

Many names have been proposed at the subspecies, variety and form levels. As of August 2024 15 subspecies are accepted. * ''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''baltica'' (Klinge) H.Sund. – Finland, Germany, the Baltic Republics, Russia, Siberia, Kazakhstan *''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''calcifugiens'' – northern Denmark *''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''cordigera'' – southeastern Europe and Ukraine *''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''elatior'' – Baltic islands *''Dactylorhiza majalis'' nothosubsp. ''godferyana'' (''D. majalis'' subsp. ''majalis'' × ''D. majalis'' subsp. ''praetermissa'') – Belgium and France *''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''kalopissii'' – southern Albania and northern Greece * ''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''lapponica'' – Europe to western Siberia *''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''macedonica'' – southeastern Albania and northern Greece *''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''majalis'' – widespread across much of Europe from Spain to Russia *''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''nieschalkiorum'' – northern Turkey * ''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''occidentalis'' (Pugsley) P.D.Sell – Britain and Ireland *''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''pindica'' – Romania and Bulgaria to northwestern Greece * ''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''praetermissa'' – France, Great Britain, Benelux, Germany, Denmark, and Norway *''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''pythagorae'' –

Samos Samos (, also ; , ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese archipelago, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the Mycale Strait. It is also a separate reg ...

* ''Dactylorhiza majalis'' subsp. ''sphagnicola'' (Höppner) H.A.Pedersen & Hedrén – Scandinavia, Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands

Hybrids

Hybrids between subspecies include: *'' Dactylorhiza × dufftiana'' (syn. ''Dactylorhiza × kuehnensis'' ) (''D. majalis'' subsp. ''majalis'' × ''D. majalis'' subsp. ''lapponica'') The broad-leaved marsh orchid hybridizes quite commonly with other species of its genus. Some inter-species hybrids include: * ''Dactylorhiza'' × ''aschersoniana'' ('' Dactylorhiza incarnata'' × ''D. majalis'') * ''Dactylorhiza'' × ''braunii'' (''D. maculata'' × ''D. majalis'') **''Dactylorhiza × braunii'' nothosubsp. ''braunii'' (''D. maculata'' subsp. ''fuchsii'' × ''D. majalis'' subsp. ''majalis'') **''Dactylorhiza × braunii'' nothosubsp. ''lilacina'' (''D. maculata'' subsp. ''fuchsii'' × ''D. majalis'' subsp. ''turfosa'') * ''Dactylorhiza'' × ''ruppertii'' (''D. majalis'' × '' Dactylorhiza sambucina'') *''Dactylorhiza × senayi'' (''D. maculata'' × ''D. majalis'') **''Dactylorhiza × senayi'' nothosubsp. ''senayi'' (''D. maculata'' subsp. ''maculata'' × ''D. majalis'' subsp. ''majalis'') **''Dactylorhiza × senayi'' nothosubsp. ''wiefelspuetziana'' (''D. maculata'' subsp. ''maculata'' × ''D. majalis'' subsp. ''sphagnicola'') More rarely, hybrids with other genera (intergeneric hybrids) occur. * ×''Dactyloglossum drucei'' (''

Coeloglossum viride ''Dactylorhiza viridis'', the frog orchid, is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae. It has also been treated as the only species ''Coeloglossum viride'' of the monotypic genus ''Coeloglossum''. Description The plant ari ...

'' × ''Dactylorhiza majalis'') * ×''Dactylodenia lebrunii'' (''Dactylorhiza majalis'' × ''

Gymnadenia conopsea ''Gymnadenia conopsea'', commonly known as the fragrant orchid or chalk fragrant orchid, is a herbaceous plant of the family Orchidaceae native to northern Europe. Etymology The name of the genus ''Gymnadenia'' is formed from Greek words (', ...

'')

Formerly placed here

*'' Dactylorhiza francis-drucei'' (as ''Dactylorhiza majalis'' var. ''francis-drucei'' ) **''Dactylorhiza francis-drucei'' var. ''ebudensis'' (as ''Dactylorhiza majalis'' var. ''ebudensis'' and ''D. majalis'' subsp. ''ebudensis'' ) ** ''Dactylorhiza francis-drucei'' subsp. ''traunsteinerioides'' (as ''Dactylorhiza majalis'' var. ''traunsteinerioides'' and ''D. majalis'' subsp. ''traunsteinerioides'' )

Range

''Dactylorhiza majalis'' is widespread across much of Europe and north-central Asia, from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

and

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> In

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

the broad-leaved marsh orchid is widespread but with several gaps. In many places, especially from western to northern Germany, it is extinct. In

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

it is also quite widespread. A significant gap is found south of the

Aar The Aare () or Aar () is the main tributary of the High Rhine (its discharge even exceeds that of the latter at their confluence) and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. Its total length from its source to i ...

between

Aarau Aarau (, ) is a List of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital of the northern Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Aargau. The List of towns in Switzerland, town is also the capital of the d ...

and

Lake Neuchâtel Lake Neuchâtel ( ; ; ) is a lake primarily in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. The lake lies mainly in the canton of Neuchâtel, but is also shared by the cantons of Vaud, Fribourg, and Bern. It comprises one of the lakes in th ...

Conservation

Although the broad-leaved marsh orchid is commonly found in some regions, it is nevertheless protected as an orchid. As with many marsh plants, the numbers of this species have been dwindling for quite some time. The main causes are the entry of nitrogen via fertilizer, drying out of the habitat, and intensive conversion to pasture. The broad-leaved marsh orchid does not react so sensitively to changes in its habitat as for example the early marsh orchid, '' Dactylorhiza incarnata''. It is usually the last of the native orchids to disappear. This tolerance makes it a still relatively common species.

References

External links

''Den virtuella floran'' Distribution
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1367838 majalis Orchids of Europe Orchids of Asia Plants described in 1828 Taxa named by Ludwig Reichenbach