O. cilentana was first described from Cilento by Devillers-Terschuren and Devillers in 2000. Prior to this
it was referred to as O. arachnitiformis subsp cilentana and many examples of this hugely variable Ophrys
bear a strong resemblance to that species.
Perhaps the most important factor in determining the identity of O. cilentana is location which is restricted to an area in the west of Italy thats centred on the Cilento National Park, with the northern boundary around Naples and in the south, reaching no further than the Pollino National Park.
The zoning of the early flowering Ophrys species in western Italy is well documented with O. tyrrhena, O.
argentaria and O. tarquinia occupying northern and central Tuscany. O. classica then predominates from
southern Tuscany through to the Naples area where it is replaced by O. cilentana which is itself replaced
by O. exaltata and O. brutia through Calabria.
There are of course overlaps in range but they are not huge and the region in which you discover a plant is
a significant key to its identity. As mentioned earlier, the appearance of the plant is variable in the extreme and neither sepal/petal configuration and colour or speculum pattern are indicative of species.
Habitat may include alkaline or acid substrata , dry or moist soils and full sun to mid shade ! It's an early flowerer and we have noted plants growing in full sun that were way past there best by the last week in
March . The photograph's all come from the Cilento region and date from the first week of April.
