This is the title member of the N. tridentata group whose name means "three teeth" and refers to the canine-like perianth points surmounting the hood of each flower. It was originally described as Orchis tridentata from Slovenia in 1772 but in 1997 was reassigned to the genus Neotinia along with the other five members of the tridentata goup.
N. tridentata is a common orchid with a widespread range similar to that of N. lactea though it is somewhat rarer in the west and increases in frequency as it travels eastwards. Its distribution is not however fully understood due to confusion with other group members, notably the morphologically similar but not closely related N. commutata.
The related species with which it is most frequently mistaken is N. lactea but there are significant characteristics which help simplify identification. Firstly, N. lactea has an elongated inflorescence that usually (but by no means always) carries numerous tightly packed flowers. N. tridentata on the other hand has a short, often oval shaped or vaguely flat topped inflorescence that tops a relatively tall stem. The second distinguishing feature is the lip, which in N. lactea has a knee-joint type of profile below the stigmatic cavity and strongly recurved lip edges. With N. tridentata the whole lip is much flatter and photograph 1 depicts this very well. Finally and importantly N. tridentata lacks the olive green colouration to the inside of the hood. This final feature is not however the case with N. tridentata var. angelica from Crete which often exhibits this colouration. The illustrations are from Southern France and Croatia, dating from the beginning of May.
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