''Serapias bergonii'' is a species 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 found from

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 ...

to western and southern

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 ...

Occurrence in the UK

In 2021, a tongue orchid was found growing in an undisclosed location in Suffolk, and assumed to be lesser tongue orchid. In 2022 after repeated visits by naturalists the ID was reassessed as Serapias bergonii, and suggested as such by Sean Cole, Kew Gardens, and an undisclosed academic. Considering it is native to the SE Mediterranean, it was assumed to have been deliberately planted here. However, in 2023 it emerged that it was not planted there.https://twitter.com/GB43039563/status/1672270811208531971 The orchid grows on private land with limited public access, and it is difficult to see where it could have originated from. There are plans to get the orchids further assessed in 2024 by other academics.

References

* * bergonii Orchids of Europe Flora of Turkey Flora of Malta {{Orchidoideae-stub