Robert's Orchid

Himantoglossum robertianum

Himantoglossum robertianum is a plant belonging to the family Orchidaceae. His name is a tribute to the French botanist Gaspard Nicolas Robert (1776-1857). The Himantoglossum robertianum is one of the very first wild orchid to blossom and also one of the larger.
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Appearance

It is a plant from 20 to 50 cm high. Tuberous perennial, with two underground ovoid organs.

The leaves are oval or elliptical, light green in color.

The inflorescence, thick and cylindrical, bears numerous large and fragrant, green-purple flowers.
The lip, trefoil, is pink with purple central purplish spots; The side lobes, elongated and thin, are shaped arms folded towards the center of the lip while the median lobe is in turn divided into two generally spread apart lobes. The spur, bevel and shorter ovary, is facing down.
Himantoglossum robertianum Himantoglossum robertianum The Himantoglossum robertianum, formerly Barlia robertiana (Loisel. Greuter, 1967), or "Robert's Orchid", is a plant belonging to the family Orchidaceae. His name is a tribute to the French botanist Gaspard Nicolas Robert (1776-1857). The Himantoglossum robertianum is one of the very first wild orchid to blossom and also one of the larger. It can be found especially in the central region of the Portuguese territory, predominantly in limestone areas. Giant orchid,Himantoglossum robertianum,Lamiales,Robert's orchid,orchids,plantae,plants,wild flowers

Naming

List of synonyms:

Barlia robertiana (Loisel.) Greuter (1967)
Orchis robertiana Loisel. (1807) (Basionymum)
Orchis longibracteata Biv. (1806)
Orchis fragrans Ten. (1811)
Orchis foliosa Masson ex Ker Gawl. (1819)
Aceras longibracteatum Rchb.f. (1850)
Barlia longibracteata (Rchb.f.) Parl. (1858)
Loroglossum longibracteatum (Rchb.f.) Moris ex Ardoino (1867)
Himantoglossum longibracteatum (Rchb.f.) Schltr. (1914)
Himantoglossum robertianum Himantoglossum robertianum Giant orchid,Himantoglossum robertianum,Lamiales,Robert's orchid,orchids,plantae,plants,wild flowers

Distribution

Steno-Mediterranean. It is a fairly common species in Italy.
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Habitat

The favored habitat includes meadows, undergrowth, wastelands and roadsides.
Himantoglossum robertianum A new plant for Israel Geotagged,Himantoglossum robertianum,Israel,Robert's Orchid,Winter

Reproduction

Entomophilous pollinated by different Hymenoptera Apoidea including Bombus horthorum and Xylocopa violacea.

The Barlia robertiana orchid doesn't produce nectar, instead houses several aphid colonies, Dysaphis tulipae, whose honeydew accumulates in the spur of the flowers, acting as a magnet for insects. In rare cases it may resort to self-pollination

Early flowering from December to April.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

http://www.flora-on.pt/index.php#/1barlia
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himantoglossum_robertianum
http://www.giros.it/Genera/Barlia.htm
http://www.first-nature.com/flowers/himantoglossum-robertianum.php
Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassMonocots
OrderAsparagales
FamilyOrchidaceae
GenusHimantoglossum
SpeciesHimantoglossum robertianum
Photographed in
Israel
Italy
Portugal