!Serapias lingua Linne 1753 Photo courtesy of JM.Dreuillaux and the Orchids of France and Europe

to

Common Name The Tongue Serapias

Flower Size about 1" [2.5 cm]

Found in western North Africa, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Yugoslavia, Albania, Greece and all the Mediteranean islands west of Crete as a small sized, cold to cool growing, small, terrestrial orchid from sand dune slacks, wet marsh, damp meadows and open fields below an elevation of 2000 meters with 4 to 8 linear-lanceolate, acuminate leaves that blooms on an erect, terminal, 10" [25 cm] long, laxly few to several flowered inflorescence, that has large bracts that almost cover the flower and occurs in the spring.

Synonyms Helleborine leucoglottis Steud. 1821; Helleborine Lingua Pers. 1807; Helleborine oxyglottis Pers. 1807; Lonchitis oxyglottis (Willd.) Bubani 1901; Orchis lingua (L.) Scop. 1772; Serapias brevibracteata St.-Lag. 1880; Serapîas columnae (Rchb. f.) Lojacono 1909; Serapias excavata Schlechter 1923; Serapias glabra Lapeyr. 1813; Serapias laxiflora var. columnae Rchb. f 1851; Serapias lingua f. pallidiflora E.G.Camus, Bergon & A.Camus 1908; Serapias lingua subsp. duriaei (Rchb. ex Batt.) Maire 1931; Serapias lingua subsp. oxyglottis (Willd.) Maire & Weiller 1959; Serapias lingua subsp. stenopetala (Maire & Stephenson) Maire & Weiller 1959; Serapias lingua subsp. veneris Balayer 1986; Serapias lingua var. duriaei Rchb. ex Batt. 1884; Serapias lingua var. flavescens Balayer 1986; Serapias lingua var. hirsuta Boiss. 1842; Serapias lingua var. leucantha J.A.Guim. 1887; Serapias lingua var. longibracteata J.A.Guim. 1887; Serapias lingua var. oxyglottis (Willd.) E.G.Camus 1908; Serapias lingua var. rubescens Balayer 1986; Serapias lingua var. stenopetala (Maire & T.Stephenson) Maire 1938; Serapias mauretanica Schltr. 1923; Serapias oxyglottis Willd. 1805; Serapias oxyglottis var. pallescens Mutel 1836; Serapias parviflora var. columnae (Rchb. f.) Ascherson & Graebner ?; Serapias stenopetala Maire & Stephenson 1930; Serapias stricta Welw. ex Woods 1858; Serapias strictiflora Welw. ex Veiga 1886; Serapiastrum lingua (L.) A.A.Eaton 1908;

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------