This attractive Ophrys was first
described from Sicily in 1840 and its somewhat eccentric name refers to
the shape of its appendage. It is a member of the O. fuciflora group that
was once thought to be present, albeit rare in southern Italy.
This view has now been revised and it is now considered endemic to
Sicily,
with perhaps an outpost on Malta. The plants from southern Italy have
now been recognized as O. ingrassiae.
Its habitat requirement is the usual Mediterranean calcareous terrain which in Sicily it shares with several other fuciflorids such as O. biancae, O. calliantha and the more elusive but stunning O. lacaitae. It is particularly common in the Pantalica Riserva to the the north of Syracuse in the south east of Sicily, an area in which it is possible to find all four fuciflorid species.
O. oxyrrhynchos is not a significantly variable orchid in its genetically pure form but in the south of Sicily transitional populations with O. calliantha are widespread and these can present real identification problems. The latter species is normally distinguished by its pure pink sepals and generally more elaborate, candicoid speculum. With O. oxyrrhinchos sepals are predominantly green but can sometimes be lightly washed with pink and the speculum normally quite reduced and white edged as opposed to candicoid. O. biancae will often exhibit these same features but its smaller size and earlier flowering will generally act as an easy differentiator between the two.
The pictures are all from central and southern Sicily, dating from the second and third weeks of April, at least two weeks after O. biancae and a week or more before O. lacaitae and O. calliantha.
Its habitat requirement is the usual Mediterranean calcareous terrain which in Sicily it shares with several other fuciflorids such as O. biancae, O. calliantha and the more elusive but stunning O. lacaitae. It is particularly common in the Pantalica Riserva to the the north of Syracuse in the south east of Sicily, an area in which it is possible to find all four fuciflorid species.
O. oxyrrhynchos is not a significantly variable orchid in its genetically pure form but in the south of Sicily transitional populations with O. calliantha are widespread and these can present real identification problems. The latter species is normally distinguished by its pure pink sepals and generally more elaborate, candicoid speculum. With O. oxyrrhinchos sepals are predominantly green but can sometimes be lightly washed with pink and the speculum normally quite reduced and white edged as opposed to candicoid. O. biancae will often exhibit these same features but its smaller size and earlier flowering will generally act as an easy differentiator between the two.
The pictures are all from central and southern Sicily, dating from the second and third weeks of April, at least two weeks after O. biancae and a week or more before O. lacaitae and O. calliantha.
