O. brancifortii is a delightful orchid, endemic to the islands of Sicily and Sardinia and closely related to
the more familiar O. quadripunctata. It was named after Prince Brancifortii who was the sponsor
and protector of Antonina Bivona-Bernardi, a well known Sicillian botanist of the early nineteenth
century and the man who first described this species in 1813.
It is not a particularly variable orchid and even its colour is fairly consistent, rangeing from pale lilac to
mid crimson. O. brancifortii favours calcareous soils and rocky positions in full sun. In Sicily these
conditions are met in the lava fields on the southern slopes of Mount Etna where the species can be found
growing in large but loose colonies among the lower level, weathered, igneous rock formations.
This orchis is by no means common either in Sardinia or Sicily and can take a lot of finding, although once
found is not easily confused with any other species. It does not show any great propensity to hybridise
but in the locations where the authors have found it, there have been very few other orchid species growing
nearby and so perhaps the temptations are reduced.
It can be a tall plant (up to 30cms) and older established plants may produce several flowering stems
which form highly attractive clumps. It may equally grow as a small single stem projecting from the
fissures of rocks or on cliff ledges.
The photograph's are all from the Ragalna area of southern Sicily and were taken in the second week of
April.
