''Serapias vomeracea'', common name long-lipped serapias or plow-share serapias, 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 ...

in the genus ''

Serapias ''Serapias'' is a genus of terrestrial orchids that can be found all over southern Europe to Asia Minor. The genus was named after Serapis Serapis or Sarapis is a Egyptian Greeks, Graeco-Egyptian god. A Religious syncretism, syncretic deity d ...

''.

Etymology

The name ''Serapias'' of the genus derives from the Greek ''

Sarapis Serapis or Sarapis is a Graeco-Egyptian god. A syncretic deity derived from the worship of the Egyptian Osiris and Apis, Serapis was extensively popularized in the third century BC on the orders of Greek Pharaoh Ptolemy I Soter, as a means to ...

'', the Graeco-Egyptian god, already used in ancient times to name some orchids. The Latin name ''vomeracea'' of this species refers to the shape of the apical portion of the labellum ( epichile) reminiscent of a ploughshare.

Description

''Serapias vomeracea'' is an

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

plant with two ovoidal underground tubers. This species is highly variable in color and shape. It reaches a height of , with a maximum of . The stem is green, with two membranous basal leaves and 6-8 upper leaves, lanceolate and glossy green or reddish. The inflorescence is composed by a narrow and elongated spike, with three to ten flowers. The relevant bracts are lanceolate and much longer than the

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s. Their color is red-purple, with darker longitudinal venation. The outer

s are lanceolate and erect, forming a helmet-like structure. Their color is purple-red or pinkish, with veins of darker color. The internal lateral

s are brownish-purple and almost entirely hidden by the helmet. The labellum is brick red, trilobed and larger than the other

s. The basal portion ( hypochile) of the labellum is concave and enclosed in the helmet, with two raised and hairy lateral lobes. The apical portion of the labellum ( epichile) is triangular-lanceolate, usually purple-red and quite hairy. The spur is missing. The flowering period extends from March to June.

Reproduction

''Serapias vomeracea'' is an entomophilous plant, but cannot offer floral rewards to pollinators as it does not produce nectar. Therefore, pollinators are just attracted by the shape of the flower, forming a small tube used by insects to rest by night or as a refuge against the rain. In this process pollen gets stuck to the pollinators' bodies. Once they leave their shelter, they will deposit the pollen on other flowers and fertilize them. These orchids are mainly pollinated by some beetles (families

Oedemeridae The family Oedemeridae is a cosmopolitan group of beetles commonly known as false blister beetles, though some recent authors have coined the name pollen-feeding beetles. There are some 100 genera and 1,500 species in the family, mostly associate ...

and Lymexylidae) and by

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 (genera '' Ceratina'', ''

Eucera ''Eucera'' is a genus of bees in the family Apidae, which comprises more than 100 species. These bees are commonly known as long-horned bees due to their characteristically long Antenna (biology), antennae, especially in males. Eucera species can ...

'' and '' Osmia''). Seeds are dispersed by the wind (

anemochory In spermatophyte plants, seed dispersal is the movement, spread or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. Plants have limited mobility and rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their seeds, including both abiotic vectors, ...

Subspecies

* ''Serapias vomeracea'' (Burm. f.) Briq. subsp. ''vomeracea'' * ''Serapias vomeracea'' (Burm. f.) Briq. subsp. ''longipetala'' (Ten.) H. Baumann & Künkele * ''Serapias vomeracea'' (Burm. f.) Briq. subsp. ''laxiflora'' (Soó) Gölz & H.R. Reinhard

Distribution

The species has a Mediterranean- Atlantic distribution from

Charente Charente (; Saintongese: ''Chérente''; ) is a department in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It is named after the river Charente, the most important and longest river in the department, and also the r ...

in the north and is widespread from south-central

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 ...

, the Mediterranean Basin to

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 ...

Habitat

This orchid prefers dry and

wet meadow A wet meadow is a type of wetland with soils that are Solubility, saturated for part or all of the growing season which prevents the growth of trees and brush. Debate exists whether a wet meadow is a type of marsh or a completely separate type of ...

s, pastures, thickets, clearings and scrubland, frequently on clayey substrate, from full light to partial shade, at an altitude of above sea level.

Gallery

(MHNT) Serapias vomeracea - Habitus.jpg, Plant of ''Serapias vomeracea'' (MHNT) Serapias vomeracea - Inflorescence.jpg, Flowers of ''Serapias vomeracea'' File:Mg-k d0702187.jpg, Close-up on a flowers of ''Serapias vomeracea'' File:Orchidaceae - Serapias vomeracea-2.JPG, Close-up on a flowers of ''Serapias vomeracea'' File:Orchidaceae - Serapias vomeracea.JPG, Leaf of ''Serapias vomeracea''

References

* G. Pellegrino, D. Gargano, M. E. Noce, A. Musacchio - Reproductive biology and pollinator limitation in a deceptive orchid, Serapias vomeracea (Orchidaceae) - Plant Species Biology - Volume 20, Issue 1, pages 33–39, April 2005 * Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia (3 voll.) - Edagricole – 1982, Vol. III * Tutin, T.G. et al. - Flora Europaea, second edition - 1993

External links

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Biolib

Altervista Flora Italiana ''Serapias vomeracea''

Actaplantarum

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1472728 vomeracea Orchids of Europe Flora of Malta Taxa named by Nicolaas Laurens Burman Orchids of Lebanon