Orchids of the UK - Early Purple Orchid
Orchids of the UK
Early Purple Orchid Orchis mascula
Rob Read
Above: An Early Purple Orchid in flower. ©Rob Read.
As its name suggests, the Early Purple Orchid is one of the first orchids to make an appearance in the spring and it can often be found among the Bluebells that carpet our woodland floors in April through to early May, although it can still be found flowering in some locations as late as June.
The Early Purple Orchid is a beautiful medium height orchid, the spikes of which grow up to 40cm in height. The plant is adorned with up to 50 purple flowers arranged in a cone-shaped cluster at the top of the flower spike. The lower lips of the flowers each have three lobes, the upper petals forming a hood. The leaves form a rosette on the ground at the base of the spike and are glossy and green with dark spots. These rosettes are quite obvious, and I often find these early in the spring in the woods close to my home among the emerging Bluebells, well before either species flower. I generally mark them with a stick so I can easily locate them again and follow their progress, ensuring I don’t miss their floral display.
The orchid is a widespread species which favours chalk and limestone soils. It can be found in a variety of habitats from downlands, grasslands and hedgerows, but I have most commonly encountered them in ancient woodlands in areas favoured by Bluebells.
This year, these plants didn’t flower very well in my local wood. The cold spring seemed to delay their display which was rather subdued as a result. To make up for this poor showing, a Greater Butterfly Orchid (described in my last post) appeared within 12 feet of them and flowered magnificently as you will have seen from the photograph that illustrated the article. I’m sure they will make a better showing next year and I shall be out looking for them again in the spring.
Rob Read. August 2021.
Above: Ancient woodland is a good place to look for the Early Purple Orchid and they are often found with carpets of Bluebells. ©Rob Read.
