Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592
The flowering period, which is determined by the altitude of the plants location, is from the beginning of March until the end of May. The species is allogamous, as the low percentage of flowers setting seed indicates, as does its hybridisation with Orchis mascula, Orchis pauciflora, Orchis provincialis, Orchis spitzelii ssp. nitidifolia and Orchis quadripunctata. The latter species builds hybrid swarms that are very often difficult to identify. Nothing is known for certain about the pollinators; presumably it involves various hymenoptera, although the spur does not produce nectar.
Particularly in Turkey, the population of this species has become decimated by the ongoing practice of digging up tubers for the production of salep; therefore, in this region, populations with high numbers of specimens have become rare. Moreover, in the southeast of Turkey, on Cyprus and on Crete, pure colonies scarcely exist due to crossings with Orchis quadripunctata. As a result of these developments, the species may now be classified as "not common"; additional losses oflocations due to human influence (expansion of villages and tourism) are important, even if they only occur locally. In summary, Orchis anatolica must now be considered as considerably threatened.
Orchis anatolica belongs to the geophytes, and at flowering time it has two ovoid tubers that belong to the present, or the following vegetation period.
The plant is 10 to 50 cm high. At the base of the stalk there are 1 or 2 scale leaves. The basic rosette consists of2 to 5 green, lanceolate, narrow, elongated and mainly mottled leaves, that are from 8 to 13 cm long and 1.5 to 3 cm wide. One to two basal vaginating leaves enclose the lower stalk.
The elongated flower spike is up to 15 cm tall and consists of 2 to 15 very loosely arranged flowers. The flowers stem from the angle of dark red, membranous bracts that are pointed at the tip; they grow close to the ovary and reach from half to two thirds of its length.
The elongated oval to lanceolate sepals are between 8 and 10 mm long and 4 mm wide, the inside of which often has a faint green tinge, especially along the veins. The matched pair of petals is a little larger than the top sepal and point backwards more or in a less horizontal or weakly oblique angle in relation to the lip. The two petals form the helmet, and although the top sepal does not actually join them, it stands over them, therefore, still offering some protection to the column below.
The three-lobed lip has a fold in the middle and is slightly broader than long, at about 8 - 17 mm long and 8 - 22 mm wide. The central lobe protrudes and frequently presents an asymmetrically located incision. The centre of the lip exhibits a white triangle with its base towards the stigmatic cavity, this triangle has numerous dark red spots scattered over it, although the basic flower colour is from pale pink to dark-purple.
The spur is between 15 and 25 mm long, it is a little flattened laterally at the entrance; it normally bends strongly upward, occasionally it lies horizontally and is not bent. It becomes progressively narrow towards the tip. Very occasionally it even thickens club-like at the tip. The pollinaria are mace-shaped, and the seeds are quite pear-shaped.
This species favours bright pinewoods where it has a preference for the semi-shade of the trees; however, areas of scrubland and wasteland are far from avoided. At higher altitude it is often found amongst the thorn shrub of the phrygana, for example on the highest elevations of Crete and Rhodes; the highest altitude at which it can be found in the mountains is 2,400 m. Orchis anatolica is also able to grow on seasonally wet sub-soils that, however, must be highly alkaline; therefore, it is found mainly on limestone or substrates of dolomite.
