Photo © Carl Farmer |
Common on roadsides, in hay meadows and grassland that is not too acid. Height c 20-50 cm. Lowest petal c 8-12 mm wide Skye ID: Lowest petal divided more than a quarter of the way, into 3 lobes, the side lobes being rather angular with straightish edges, not fully rounded like those of Heath Spotted Orchid, and the middle lobe being much more substantial than in that species, usually projecting below the side lobes. Other features: Leaves often with spots that are broader across the leaf than along it, but sometimes unspotted. Plants on good soil have tall cylindrical flower-spikes like that in pic on left, which is never the case with Heath Spotted. Very variable and readily hybridises with other Dactylorhiza species. |
