Bienen-Ragwurz / Bienen-Orchidee (Wildform)

Season Overview

Description

The ragwort orchids (Ophrys), also known as Kerfstendel, form a genus of plants in the orchid family (Orchidaceae). They are mainly found around the Mediterranean and survive the dry summer with the help of an underground tuber. For pollination, the flowers attract male insects by producing scents and resembling insects in appearance. The insects then transfer pollen when they attempt to copulate with the flowers. Depending on the classification, the genus comprises between 10 and 350 species. The botanical genus name Ophrys is derived from the Greek word ophrys, meaning "eyebrow." The term Ophrys was first mentioned by Pliny the Elder in his work Naturalis historia. Growth Ophrys species are relatively small, perennial, herbaceous plants. They usually reach heights of 10 to 40 centimeters, but there are also flowering specimens that are only 5 centimeters tall, while other species reach up to 90 centimeters. With an underground tuber, they survive the unfavorable season. During the growing season, this tuber is replaced by one, rarely two, new ones. The tubers are round to slightly oval and are formed partly from root tissue and partly from shoot tissue. They contain living cells that store starch and dead cells that store water. Above the tubers, fibrous roots emerge from the shoot. The leaves form a basal rosette, and additional smaller leaves may be arranged on the stem; or the leaf rosette is loosely distributed with leaves scattered along the stem. A few flowers are loosely arranged in a terminal, racemose inflorescence. The ovary is sessile, hairless, and not or only slightly twisted. The flowers are resupinate, relatively large, conspicuous, and resemble an insect. The hermaphroditic flowers are zygomorphic and trifoliate. The tepals are not fused together. The three outer tepals (sepals) are white, pink, or greenish, usually glabrous. The lateral petals are smaller than the outer petals and hairy. The lip is entire to three-lobed, often with an appendage or a superimposed tip at the end. The lip is usually convexly curved, with the tip sometimes curved upwards in the opposite direction. Unlike related genera, the lip of ragwort does not have a spur. At the base of the lip there is a conspicuously colored area in the center, often with two elevations on either side. In the center of the lip there is a smooth, often shiny area, while the lip is hairy towards the edge. The column combines the stigma and the stamen; between the two is the poorly developed separating tissue (rostellum), which often has two small, colored lateral protuberances. The two pollinia are connected by stalks, each with a separate sticky disc (visidium). Pollination Orchids of the genus Ophrys are known for their special pollination mechanism. The lip of an Ophrys flower mimics a female insect. Male insects are deceived and transfer pollen during a process known as pseudocopulation. This phenomenon is called sexual deception and is a form of mimicry (deceptive mimicry). The sensory components of sexual deception consist of olfactory (scent), visual (color, shape), and tactile (hairiness) stimuli. The scent of the flowers, which in many species is a mixture of low-volatility hydrocarbons that is imperceptible to the human nose, is the most important stimulus for specifically attracting male pollinators. It is an "almost" exact copy of the sexual scents of female insects and therefore triggers the same search and copulation behavior as the corresponding female scents. Tactile stimuli are particularly important. Depending on the orientation of the hairs, a male insect can recognize which is the "front" and which is the "back" of a female. The orientation of the hairs on Ophrys flowers therefore determines whether the pollinator attempts to copulate with the flowers "head first" or "abdomen first." The pollinia are accordingly removed and transported with the head or the rear body (abdomen). The consequence of the sexual deception mechanism is a certain specificity in pollination, because attraction via sex pheromones is relatively specific, but in the heat of the moment it becomes non-specific. The result is therefore countless hybrids. In most cases, the pollinators are solitary bees, for example of the genera Andrena, Eucera, Anthophora, etc. A few Ophrys species are pollinated by digger wasps (Ophrys insectifera), dagger wasps (Ophrys speculum), beetles, flies (Ophrys fuciflora) or plant wasps (Ophrys insectifera var. subinsectifera). Due to this dependence of Ophrys species on their respective pollinators, the protection of orchids should therefore always take into account the protection of the corresponding pollinating insects.

Growing tips

Location Light: Sunny to semi-shady, warm spots are ideal. Soil: Lime-rich, well-drained, nutrient-poor, rather dry. Suitable for: Nutrient-poor grassland, dry meadows, rock gardens, semi-natural areas. Planting Time: Fall or spring. Tubers: Plant flat, soil not too nutrient-rich. Spacing: 15-20 cm, as they form small clumps. Care Watering: Only water lightly during longer dry periods. Avoid waterlogging at all costs. Fertilization: No fertilization - they prefer lean soils. Hardiness: Fully hardy down to -20 °C. Propagation: By seed (slow, requires mycorrhizal fungi). Vegetatively by tuber formation. Special features Flowering time: April to June, depending on species. Flowers: Decoy flowers - imitate insects (e.g. bee, fly, bumblebee orchid). Height: 15-40 cm. Species diversity: Over 200 species and subspecies in Europe and the Mediterranean region. Ecological importance: Highly specialized pollination strategies, important for biodiversity.

Details

Light requirement

Sunny

Water requirement

Dry

Soil

Light (sandy)

Nutrient requirement

Low

Light germinator

Plant distance

10 cm

Row spacing

15 cm

Seeding depth

3 cm