This is the lead species in the S. lingua group of Genus Serapias and takes its name from the central lip
(epichile) which was thought to resemble a tongue. It was first described in 1753 from the Naples area of central peninsula Italy.
It has a large range covering an area from the Iberian peninsula through to the Aegean (Rhodes) and including parts of north Africa. Although widespread it has a distinctly patchy distribution but can grow
in astonishing numbers in its favoured locations.
It prefers full sun but will accept a degree of shade - it also seems to be quite unfussy about levels of soil
alkalinity. S. lingua can be found growing in open, relatively dry scrub and grassland but tends to avoid completely arid area's, showing a distinct preference for marshy meadows, mountain flushes and wet dune slacks.
S. lingua is one of the easier serapias to confidently identify but needless to say there are two other species that can create some confusion (though they are both relatively rare). S. olbia and S. gregaria are pretty well restricted to the French districts of Provence and Alpes maritimes, but they are both very similar in flower formation and share S. lingua's habitat preferences. The most important distinguishing characteristic in S. lingua is the dark boss that is visible between the two hypochile at the top (base) of
the lip. This feature shows particularly well in photo 5.
.