As its name suggests O. attica was first described from the Attica region of eastern Greece by Boissier and Orphanides in 1859.
Along with its close cousin O. umbilicata, this plant was previously better known as the Mount Carmel orchid and over the years has been described as a variety or sub-species of several Ophrys, including very recently O. scolopax. It is currently installed correctly within the O. umbilicata group, all of whose members reside in the eastern Mediterranean and near east. The range of O. attica extends from southern Albania, the Ionian islands, through Greece and the Aegean islands to Anatolia.
The members of the O. umbilicata group share distinct morphological similarities and separating them can sometimes be challenging. O. attica only has a significant range overlap with two other taxons O. bucephala and O. umbilicata. Differentiating them is usually straightforward however with the former being a much larger flower and the latter by means of its white or pink sepal colouration. Hybridization between these two species has been recorded and can create populations of intermediates. Although not a proven or irrefutable fact, in the authors experience, hybrids involving O. attica and other non O. umbilicata members still invariably retain strongly forward pointing dorsal sepals and either green or green tinged sepals.
The photos are from various locations in Greece dating from late March in the Aegean islands to early May in northern Greece.
