Flowers for the garden
Pollenhead
Cephalanthera
Family: Orchidaceae. Name: Greek, means "head" and "anther", given because of the peculiarly arranged flowers with upturned anthers.
Occurs in the temperate zones of Eurasia and North America. The genus includes 14 species of terrestrial orchids.
Rhizomatous plant with a tall straight or sinuous leafy stem and comparatively large (2 - 2.5 cm long) white or bright pink flowers, gathered in an erect loose spike. The sepals and petals, similar to each other, are folded together with the lip into a bell-shaped or bud-like perianth. The lip is concave at the rear, oval in front, with a wavy margin and several comb-like appendages.
