Greater Tongue Orchid (Serapias lingua L.)
Etymology
Serapias = after the Greco-Egyptian god of the sun, Serapis.
lingua = tongue
2017 J Pickering. Found during a survey near Tiptree, Essex. This is the species' only extant location in Britain and Ireland.
The Plant
Habitat
Tiptree, Essex 26.5.18 (IMG 7022)
Tiptree, Essex 26.5.18 (IMG 7011)
Whole Plant
Tiptree, Essex 26.5.18 (IMG 7013)
Inflorescence
Tiptree, Essex 26.5.18 (IMG 7016)
Flower
Tiptree, Essex 26.5.18 (IMG 6996)
Description
Stems to 40 cm. Sepals 15 - 21mm. (Stace).
Leaves
Linear lanceolate.
Leaf Edge
No details.
Roots
No details
No details
Seeds
No details
Seed Pods
No details
Habitat
Basic to acid soils in meadows, garigue and grasslands; in open spaces in woods and maquis. The UK site is an unimproved meadow which at one time was a strawberry field.
Mychorrhiza
No data.
Pollination
No details from Britain. In Europe, small carpenter bees (Ceratina sp) and sand wasps (Gorytes sp) have been noted as pollinators, though it seems unlikely that pollination is restricted to these species. In 3 European studies the fruit set ranged from 24 to 64%, with a median of 44% (Claessens and Kleynen). A deceptive orchid, probably attracting insects by scent.
Flowering time
There is only 1 record in the BSBI database showing a date of flowering of 28 June. My visit was on 26 May when the orchids were in full flower.
Distribution in Britain and Ireland
No data.
Pollination
No details from Britain. In Europe, small carpenter bees (Ceratina sp) and sand wasps (Gorytes sp) have been noted as pollinators, though it seems unlikely that pollination is restricted to these species. In 3 European studies the fruit set ranged from 24 to 64%, with a median of 44% (Claessens and Kleynen). A deceptive orchid, probably attracting insects by scent.
Flowering time
There is only 1 record in the BSBI database showing a date of flowering of 28 June. My visit was on 26 May when the orchids were in full flower.
Distribution in Britain and Ireland
BSBI Records 2000-20 (ignoring an introduction at Wakehurst Place)
Found in only 1 vice county, Essex, VC19 and in just 1 monad. There was a single record from Devon VC3 in 1998, but has not been recorded there since. There is also a record from Kew's Wakehurst Place, but it is difficult to accept that this as a wild location.
Distribution Worldwide
W. France, Iberia and Mediterranean including Morocco east to Greece (Kuhn). It is a puzzle as to why it has turned up in Essex. Deliberate introduction can probably, but not definitely be ruled out. It could have arrived as wind blown seed, 'Sahara dust', though in Morocco it is only found in the Mediterranean littoral. My own theory relying on two unproven assumptions is that it arrived from Spain. The colony in Essex has at least 30 to 40 plants, and it is well established, suggesting it has been there for some time, so that it might have been there since the days when this was a strawberry field. I think I am right in saying that strawberry nursery plants were and still are regularly imported from Spain, and seed of the orchid might have come with those imports.
Hybrids and Recognised Varieties
Hybrids are known in Europe with other Serapias species
References
Claessens and Kleynen: Flower of the European Orchid -Claessens J and Kleynen J 2011
Kuhn: Orchids of Europe and the Mediterranean - Kuhn R, Pedersen H A, Cribb P, 2019.
Stace: New Flora off the British Isles - Stace C 4th Edn, 2019
Updated 3.2021
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