As a species bergonii is undoubtedly the most frequently encountered Serapias in the eastern Mediterranean and would perhaps qualify as the most common of all genera of orchid within its range. Its surprising therefore that the plant has only been known as a distinct species for just over a century, having first been described from Corfu in 1908 and named after the French botanist Monsieur P Bergon.
Much of its recorded existence has been spent as a subspecies to either cordigera or later vomeracea and in both cases as ssp laxiflora. There are a number of authorities who remain sceptical about bergonii's full species status and its to be admitted that conclusive identification can be all but impossible in some populations.
This is undoubtedly due in no small part to hybridization which has over the years created large numbers of intermediate's, though even where colonies seem free from genetic interference, variation can be significant. It's notable that bergonii seems far more prone to hypochromy than its close relatives and these pictures from Crete illustrate this propesity.
The type bergonii is generally shorter than vomeracea and less robust but probably the key feature which distinguishes the two is the length of the bracts relative to the hood. In this species the height of the bract is no more than twice that of the hood whereas in vomeracea the relationship is more like three times and creates an impression of many church spires rising from a town skyline.
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