NOTES: THE ORCHID FAMILY

Epsom & Ewell Flower Finder

Orchidaceae: Orchid Family

I'm not a lover of vanilla as a flavour as so much of it is "artificial". A real vanilla pod is a whole different thing! This native of Mexico is probably the best known of the Orchid family. Our native orchids, although smaller than their cousins, are as beautiful. Finding a wild orchid is very exciting, as most are threatened/near threatened.

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Epipactis helleborine

Broad-Leaved Helleborine

Hairy upper stem, ridged leaves. Height up to 0.9 metre.

About

This plant seems happy in human company and has spread throughout the temperate world (map: Marta Kolanowska). This one was found at Howell Hill in Epsom - thank you Phillip Kirk for the photograph .

This orchid's heady scent attracts social wasps as pollinators - by mimicking their prey. A clever strategy that involves wafting what smells like aphid alarm pheremone!

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Spiranthes spiralis

Autumn Lady's Tresses

Slender. Hairy. Height up to 0.2 metre.

About

The clue is in the Latin; flowers literally spiral the main stem. These plants love the dry chalkland of Epsom Downs, where it can be found. The root takes years to produce the green plant, relying on underground fungi for nutrients.

Plant is dormant underground, appearing toward the end of summer. Sometimes observed to have a "sweet, vanilla-like scent", flowers contain sticky nectar which dries quickly once extracted, helping pollen to stick readily onto insect tongues, aiding pollination.

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More information

SURREY'S WILDFLOWERING PROJECT is a community-led initiative, aiming to build a partnership that enables wildflowering in the county as well as promoting and celebrating the boroughs/districts diverse environments. Do take the time to find out more about the project and if you can get involved, even in a small way, you will make a difference.

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Useful links

SURREY WILDFLOWERING

THE SCC BLUE CAMPAIGN