Epipactis purpurata G.E. Smith 1828 Photo courtesy of P.-M. Blais and the Orchids of France and Europe

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Common Name The Purple Epipactis - The Violet Helleborine

Flower Size 4/5" [2 cm]

Found in Great Britain, Denmark, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Czechloslavakia, Austria, Hungary, Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and the Ukraine at elevations up to 1500 meters as a small to medium sized, cool to cold growing terrestrial found on limestone in shady, deciduous or coniferous forests with an erect, gray haired, violet tinged stem carrying 6 to 10, grayish-green, purple-tinged, spirally arranged, small, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate leaves that blooms in the summer on an erect, terminal, 6 to 12" [15 to 30 cm] long, densely many flowered inflorescence with nodding, slightly scented flowers.

Synonyms Epipactis helleborine subsp. varians (Crantz) Sund 1980; Epipactis helleborine var. varians Crantz 1769; Epipactis latifolia var. violacea Dur.-Doq. 1846; Epipactis sessilifolia Petermann 1844; Epipactis varians Crantz. 1769; Epipactis violacea (Durand-Duqueney) Boreau 1857; Epipactis viridiflora (Hoffm.) Krock. 1814; Helleborine purpurata (Smith) Druce 1909; Helleborine sessilifolia (Peterm.) Druce 1905; Helleborine varians (Crantz) O.Schwarz 1936; Helleborine violacea (Boreau) Druce 1907; Helleborine violacea (Dur.-Doq.) Druce 1907; Helleborine viridiflora (Hoffm. ex Krock.) Wheldon & Travis 1913; Limodorum violaceum (Dur.-Doq.) Kuntze 1891; Serapias sessilifolia (Peterm.) A.A.Eaton 1908

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; AOS Bulletin Vol 54 No 5 1985 photo; Orchids of Europe, North Africa and the Middle east Delforge 2005

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