John and Gerry's Orchids of Britain and Europe |
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Scotland |
Notable species :-
Corallorhiza trifida
Dactylorhiza coccinea Dactylorhiza ericetorum Dactylorhiza fuchsii Dactylorhiza hebridensis Dactylorhiza incarnata Dactylorhiza kerryensis Dactylorhiza maculata Dactylorhiza okellyi Dactylorhiza purpurella Dactylorhiza traunsteineroides Dactylorhiza viridis Epipactis atrorubens Goodyera repens Hammarbya paludosa Neottia cordata Neottia nidus-avis Orchis mascula Platanthera chlorantha Pseudorchis albida Spiranthes romanzoffiana | ||
Dactylorhiza coccinea |
Scotland |
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Spiranthes romanzoffiana | Corallorhiza trifida |
Neottia cordata |
Areas of interest Scotland is a sparsely populated country with huge areas of natural terrain, but which from the point of view of the orchid enthusiast, is somewhat challenging. Much of the Scottish soil profile is acidic with a region of mica schist formations in the central Highlands and just occasional outcrops of limestone scattered around the country, particularly in the north west. Scotland is dominated by mountains but its lengthy coastline offers some additional geological and landscape variety in the form of cliffs, coastal pine forest, sand dunes and of course the famous machair so typical of the north west coast and particularly the Hebrides. The coastline and lochs of the west coast offer a habitat which in the British Isles is unique outside the island of Ireland. This is the loch side, acidic peat marsh and seasonally submerged grassland that creates a home for perhaps the rarest of Europe's orchids, Spiranthes romanzoffiana.
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The picture to the left
depicts the preferred loch side habitat for Irish Ladies Tresses. As
can be seen, it is a decidedly damp one which requires a stout pair of
wellingtons to explore and which in wet summers can become completely
inundated. This part of the Western Highlands is also home to another rare beast, Dactylorhiza traunsteineroides ssp francis-drucei, a taxon once regarded in Scotland as Dactylorhiza lapponica but subsequently reclassified. Many other Dactylorhiza group species can be found here including D. maculata, D. incarnata, D. ericetorum D. traunsteineroides, D. okellyi and D. purpurella. The Bog orchid Hammarbaya paludosa is also present in the freshwater wet flushes and margins of marshy mountain hillsides. The Rahoy Hills of the Ardnamurchan Peninsula being a noted site for this species. The highlands and islands of the west coast are home to the unique habitat formation known as machair which is a highly calcareous environment comprising extensive flat grassland and dune systems. The machair supports a rich flora including many orchid species, especially of the Dactylorhiza group and notably Dactlyorhiza hebridensis. In wetter areas the previously mentioned Spiranthes romanzoffiana can also be encountered. Moving eastwards across the country we find the substantial Cairngorms mountain range which rise to an altitude of some 1200 metres, forming part of a larger National Park bearing that name. The landscape |
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is
one of acidic moorland and ancient pine forest which is both
ornithologically and botanically of great interest. Orchids are not
well represented but the floor of the Caledonian Forest is home to
three of Scotlands characteristic species, Corallorhiza trifida, Neottia cordata and Goodyera repens (pictured below). South |
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of the Cairngorms is another mountainous district that rises to a respectable 1200 metres but which is |
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geologically very dissimilar. This is the Ben Lawers range and Ben Lawers itself has long been known to botanists as a mountain that supports an alpine flora unrivaled throughout the rest of the UK. Orchids are predominantly found on the lower southern slopes where the limestone and schist soils create an alkaline substrate. Species found here include Dactylorhiza viridis, Dachtylorhiza fuchsii, Platanthera chlorantha and Gymnadenia conopsea. Higher altitudes and occasional acidic enclaves hold Dactylorhiza ericetorum and small numbers of the tiny Neottia cordata. Gymnadenia albida is a very scarce species in the UK and its in Scotland that its at its most frequent. It can be found sparingly throughout the country but seems to show a particular preference for the lowlands, south west of Glasgow, where it finds a home in neutral, sometimes acidic meadows. The Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve at Feoch meadows near Barrhill is an outstanding area of wet and dry meadow that's of great interest to both the ornithologist and the botanist. Feoch is a noted for Gymnadenia albida, where it grows alongside several other species including Orchis mascula, Platanthera bifolia, Platanthera chlorantha, Dactylorhiza fuchsii, Dachtylorhiza incarnata and Gymnadenia conopsea. Other sites of interest include Inchnadamph (Epipactis atrorubens), Colonsay (Spiranthes romanzoffiana) and Culbin Sands (Corallorhiza trifida and Neottia cordata). |
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