Neotinea conica is a member of the recently reappraised N. tridentata group and was first described from Portugal in 1805. Its name refers to the conical shape of the infloresence, though the species doesn’t always conform to this description and may appear quite ragged with a far less symmetrical structure.

In the Iberian peninsular Neotinea conica replaces its close relative Neotinea lactea and identification can therefore be made with a high degree of confidence. Not so in other parts of its range however, where contact between the two species has produced many intermediate populations. Nowhere is this more applicable than in Sicily where abundant Neotinea lactea significantly outnumber the rarer Neotinea conica and finding genetically pure colonies can be difficult. Given the close resemblance these two species share it’s interesting that despite both being members of the same family grouping, they are not closely related. Neotinea conica is in fact much nearer to Neotinea tridentata and research suggests that these two taxons have resulted from a geographic speciation process (allopatric).

The key characteristic that differentiates the two species is the lip. In Neotinea lactea it is kinked in the centre and both the lateral lobes and lip margins are strongly reflexed. In Neotinea conica, the lip, although with a slightly raised pleat in the centre, lacks this kink and the lip margins and lateral lobes are generally either flat or show a marked forward pointing spread. The sepals of Neotinea conica are elongated, acuminate and point forward in a serpentine manner which strongly recalls the tentacles of a squid. This serves as a further distinguishing feature when seeking to separate the species from Neotinea lactea in which the sepals are shorter.