Dactylorhiza purpurella (T. Stephenson & T.A. Stephenson) Soó 1962 Photo courtesy of Carol Cardello

LATE to EARLY

D incarnata Group

Common Name or Meaning The Deep Purple Dactylorhiza - UK - Northern Marsh Orchid

Flower Size 3/4" [1.8 cm]

Found in the Faroe Islands, Ireland, United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden and Denmark as a miniature sized, cold growing terrestrial wqith cauline, often basal, unspotted, to finely spotted in the upper half, oblong-lanceolate, slightly keeled leaves that blooms in the late spring and early summer on an erect, terminal, dense, ovoid to near cylindrical, 1.2 to 3" [3 to 7.5 cm] long, 10 to 30 flowered inflorscence.

Synonyms Dactylorchis purpurella (T.Stephenson & T.A.Stephenson) Verm. 1947; Dactylorhiza majalis subsp. purpurella (T.Stephenson & T.A.Stephenson) D.M.Moore & Soó 1978; Dactylorhiza majalis var. maculosa (T.Stephenson) R.M.Bateman & Denholm 1983; Dactylorhiza majalis var. purpurella (T.Stephenson & T.A.Stephenson) R.M.Bateman & Denholm 1983; Orchis praetermissa var. pulchella Druce 1920; *Orchis purpurella T. Stephenson & T.A. Stephenson 1920; Orchis purpurella var. crassifolia T.Stephenson 1937; Orchis purpurella var. maculosa T.Stephenson 1937

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Orchids of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East Delforge 2005