This is a member of the nine strong O. subfusca group and was first described in 1992. It is a Sicillian
endemic and was for many years thought to be confined to the upper slopes of Mount Lauro (from which
it gets its name) - but it has now been shown to grow in a very few small colonies away from its main
population centre.
Nonetheless its overall range is very small and it is only in any way frequent on Monte Lauro where
perhaps due to altitude, it is a relatively late flowerer. Its habitat is dry stoney fields on basaltic
rock where it grows in association with several species of orchid but very few other Pseudophrys. In
the two sites where we have seen it, both O. sicula and O. archimedea were present in small numbers
but there was little evidence of significant hybridization with the one exception of the example in photo
5 which is by no means a typical plant and bore some features that had more than a passing similarity to
those of O. archimedea.
As with most of its genus it can be variable in appearance but there are three consistent features which
distinguish it 1 :- The large stigmatic cavity and prominent, very shiny basal swellings. 2 :- The blackish blue speculum. 3 :- The thick and vivid yellow lip margin. Given that it is by far the most
common of the yellow Pseudophrys on the mountain, it was neither difficult to locate or identify it
once found.
All the photographs come from Monte Lauro and date from the 17th of April, although the first flowers
were noted appearing on the 14th of that month.
