Ophrys vernixia Brot. in Fl. Lusit. 1: 24. 1804
Sinónimos:
Ophrys speculum subsp. lusitanica O.Danesch & E.Danesch, Orchidee (Hamburg) 20: 21 (1969).
Ophrys vernixia subsp. lusitanica (O.Danesch & E.Danesch) H.Baumann & Künkele, Mitt. Arbeitskreis Heimische Orchid. Baden-Württemberg 18: 391 (1986).
Ophrys lusitanica (O.Danesch & E.Danesch) Paulus & Gack, Israel J. Bot. 39: 77 (1990).
Ophrys ciliata subsp. lusitanica (O.Danesch & E.Danesch) H.Baumann, Künkele & R.Lorenz, J. Eur. Orch. 36: 571 (2004).
Ophrys vernixia was first described from Coimbra, Portugal by Brotero in 1804 and is a member of the small Ophrys speculum group of Ophrys. Some authorities don’t accept this plant as a full species and prefer to accord it only sub specific status as Ophrys speculum ssp lusitanica. This group of orchids are well known by their widely used common name of Mirror Ophrys.
Ophrys vernixia is confined to localized populations in the southern half of Portugal, together with some similarly scattered outposts in Southern Spain. In Spain its range is centered on Andalusia but it can also be found in just one or two sites as far north as the Province of Jaen. It is rare throughout its range but in some of its colonies, it can number hundreds of individual plants.
This species frequently grows alongside Ophrys speculum and the two readily hybridize and consequentially form large intermediate populations that can present real problems with identification. In pure populations however, differentiation is quite straightforward and perhaps the most striking contrast between the two is their differing proportions. Ophrys speculum is spindly and rarely grows above 20cms whereas Ophrys vernixia is robust and capable of reaching 50cms or more. The flowers themselves also differ in size but in the latter species, the median lobe (lip) and lateral lobes (arms) are significantly longer than those of the more “dumpy” Ophrys speculum.
Although there is a flowering overlap between the two species, Ophrys vernixia does not normally appear until at least mid April, some two or three weeks after Ophrys speculum. The pictures come from Coimbra Province, Portugal, dating from the end of April.
