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

s from the alliance

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

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 continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

, the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

, and the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

as far east as

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

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

pseudocopulation Pseudocopulation is a behavior similar to Copulation (zoology), copulation that serves a reproductive function for one or both participants but does not involve actual sexual union between the individuals. It is most generally applied to a pollin ...

, 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

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...

s and other

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

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 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...

(23-79 AD).

Biology

They are

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth, as opposed to extraterrestrial. 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 o ...

or ground

s from central to South

, North

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

, up to the

Caucasus Mountains The Caucasus Mountains * * Azerbaijani: , * * * * * * * * * * * is a mountain range at the intersection of Asia and Europe. Stretching between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, they are surrounded by the Caucasus region ...

, but mostly in the Mediterranean region. 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 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 ...

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. ''Ophrys'' like other orchids are dependent on

symbiotic Symbiosis (Ancient Greek : living with, companionship < : together; and ''bíōsis'': living) is any type of a close and long-term biolo ...

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

at some point during their life cycle, but especially for

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, ...

, which may take months or even years underground. Orchid roots contain

Orchid mycorrhiza Orchid mycorrhizae are endomycorrhizal fungi which develop symbiotic relationships with the roots and seeds of plants of the family Orchidaceae. Nearly all orchids are myco-heterotrophic at some point in their life cycle. Orchid mycorrhizae are ...

, coils of fungal hyphae inside orchid root cells. 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 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, ...

have a green or bluish color. Two to twelve flowers grow on an erect

stem Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

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. These signals stimulate mating behavior in the male pollinators, which then attempt copulation, called "pseudocopulation", with the orchid labellum. 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. 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 A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female carpel, stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are ...

, of which it usually only has one. The

is a mixture of

alkenes In organic chemistry, an alkene, or olefin, is a hydrocarbon containing a carbon–carbon double bond. The double bond may be internal or at the terminal position. Terminal alkenes are also known as Alpha-olefin, α-olefins. The Internationa ...

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 ...

. There are one or more active species in this mixture that account for the attraction of pollinators. 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 behavi ...

and

allomones 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 ...

, 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. ...

" (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 diff ...

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. As of May 2024, this article follows the lead of

Kew Botanical Garden Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,100 ...

'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 plant, perennial herbaceous plant of the genus ''Ophrys'', in the family of Orchidaceae. It serves as an example of Sexual mimicry#Interspecific deceptive mimicry, sexually d ...

'' Huds. – Bee orchid – Central and southern

, east to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

*'' 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 located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

and

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much 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 south, Croatia and ...

*'' 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 ...

**''Ophrys argolica'' subsp. ''argolica'' –

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

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

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

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

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

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

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

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

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 ...

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

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

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

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 ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

*''

Ophrys bertolonii ''Ophrys bertolonii'', commonly known as Bertoloni's bee orchid, is a species of orchid native to the western and central Mediterranean (Spain, France, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, mainland Italy, Albania, and Croatia Croatia, officially t ...

'' Moretti – Bertoloni's bee-orchid – from

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

*'' Ophrys bombyliflora'' Link – Bumblebee orchid – Mediterranean Basin and

*'' Ophrys cilicica'' Schltr. – Cilician bee-orchid –

(note that

Cilicia Cilicia () is a geographical region in southern Anatolia, extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population ranging over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilician plain (). The region inclu ...

means southern

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

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

**''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

**''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 ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

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

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

**''Ophrys fuciflora'' subsp. ''fuciflora'' – from Britain to

**''Ophrys fuciflora'' subsp. ''grandiflora'' (H. Fleischm. & Soó) Faurh. – Turkey, Cyprus **''Ophrys fuciflora'' subsp. ''lacaitae'' (Lojac.) Soó –

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

**''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 ''Ophrys fusca'', commonly known as the sombre bee-orchid or the dark bee-orchid, is a species of orchid native to the Mediterranean from southwestern Europe and northern Africa to western Asia. Most subspecies of the ''Ophrys fusca'' are pollina ...

'' 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 The genus ''Ophrys'' is a large group of orchids from the alliance Orchis in the subtribe Orchidinae. They are widespread across much of Europe, North Africa, Caucasus, the Canary Islands, and the Middle East as far east as Turkmenistan. These p ...

'' Renz & Taubenheim – Turkey *'' Ophrys kojurensis'' Gölz – Iran *'' Ophrys konyana'' Kreutz & Ruedi Peter – Turkey *''

Ophrys kopetdagensis The genus ''Ophrys'' is a large group of orchids from the alliance Orchis in the subtribe Orchidinae. They are widespread across much of Europe, North Africa, Caucasus, the Canary Islands, and the Middle East as far east as Turkmenistan. These p ...

'' 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'' 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 The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

**''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'' (syn. ''Ophrys apollonae'') – France, Greece, Greek islands, Turkey *''

Ophrys pseudomammosa The genus ''Ophrys'' is a large group of orchids from the alliance Orchis in the subtribe Orchidinae. They are widespread across much of Europe, North Africa, Caucasus, the Canary Islands, and the Middle East as far east as Turkmenistan. These p ...

'' Renz – Turkey, Greece Ophrys reinholdii Rhodos 05

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

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

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 ''Ophrys speculum'', the mirror orchid, is a species of ''Ophrys'' distributed throughout the Mediterranean region, Mediterranean that is pollinated exclusively by a single species of scoliid wasp. Description A terrestrial orchid up to 25 ...

'' 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 highly varied species with many subspecies recognised. Description Plant height varies wit ...

'' 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 Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

**''Ophrys sphegodes'' subsp. ''sphegodes'' – from Britain and Spain to Hungary and the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with 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 throug ...

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

References

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External links

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Extensive information and beautiful slides

Ophrys picture database

, slide show. {{Authority control Orchideae genera Orchids of Europe Flora of North Africa Flora of Turkmenistan Flora of Iran Flora of the Canary Islands