O. ariadnae was first described from Crete by Paulus in 1994 and is a member of the O. reinholdii group of Ophrys. It was named after Ariadne, who in Greek mythology was one of twelve children fathered by King Minos.
This species is a Greek endemic being found on the mainland in Attica and the Peloponnese, Crete and several other disjunct Aegean islands such as Samos and Aegina. It is a very similar plant to O. cretica and in Crete the two species are known to hybridize and transitional populations occur frequently, despite the fact that the scope for this is limited by minimal geographical overlap and significant differences in flowering times. O. ariadnae is found only in the eastern and central parts of the island whereas O. cretica is restricted to the western and central regions.
Even in pure populations, natural variation ensures distinguishing between O. ariadnae and O. cretica is not always straightforward. In typical forms however, two features in particular serve to separate the taxons. The first of these is the stigmatic cavity which in O. cretica is rounded, wide and constricted at the basal field, creating the appearance of a neck. In O. ariadnae the stigmatic cavity is roughly square sided, narrower overall but wider at the junction with the basal field. A second but less reliable characteristic is the normally more complex and extensive specular pattern of O. ariadnae. Flowering can vary but normally starts in early March, sometimes appearing up to a month before O. cretica. They both however bloom for lengthy periods and can be found flowering concurrently in a limited area of central Crete, though rarely side by side. The pictures are from Crete, dating from the first week of April.
This species is a Greek endemic being found on the mainland in Attica and the Peloponnese, Crete and several other disjunct Aegean islands such as Samos and Aegina. It is a very similar plant to O. cretica and in Crete the two species are known to hybridize and transitional populations occur frequently, despite the fact that the scope for this is limited by minimal geographical overlap and significant differences in flowering times. O. ariadnae is found only in the eastern and central parts of the island whereas O. cretica is restricted to the western and central regions.
Even in pure populations, natural variation ensures distinguishing between O. ariadnae and O. cretica is not always straightforward. In typical forms however, two features in particular serve to separate the taxons. The first of these is the stigmatic cavity which in O. cretica is rounded, wide and constricted at the basal field, creating the appearance of a neck. In O. ariadnae the stigmatic cavity is roughly square sided, narrower overall but wider at the junction with the basal field. A second but less reliable characteristic is the normally more complex and extensive specular pattern of O. ariadnae. Flowering can vary but normally starts in early March, sometimes appearing up to a month before O. cretica. They both however bloom for lengthy periods and can be found flowering concurrently in a limited area of central Crete, though rarely side by side. The pictures are from Crete, dating from the first week of April.
