Ophrys

Family Orchidaceae. The name is Ancient Greek, meaning "eyebrows," and metaphorically alludes to the condescending attitude of these orchids toward other plants.

This name is first mentioned in Pliny's "Natural History," written in the 1st century AD. Since it has not been possible to establish which plant the author had in mind, taxonomists decided to assign this name to the "arrogant" orchids. Linnaeus included many species of European orchids in the genus Ophrys, but subsequent data caused scientists to separate some of them into independent genera.

The genus includes about 35 species occurring in Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The plants have entire globose or ovoid root tubers; 4 species are found in the territory of our country. They are extremely ornamental and remarkable in their pollination adaptations. Ophrys flowers do not contain nectar; they attract insects by imitating the shape and coloration of flowers, primarily the appearance of the labellum. According to studies by C. Darwin and other scientists, Ophrys flowers are pollinated by males of certain insect species, which mistake the flowers for their females. All species of this genus are rare in Russia and are under protection.

The genus Ophrys is, without doubt, the most significant and interesting group of terrestrial orchids both in Europe and beyond. Members of this genus are absolutely unique: nowhere else in the plant kingdom will you find such an unusual and whimsical flower shape and such an elaborate method of attracting insect pollinators. Species of the genus Ophrys are very similar to one another. From an evolutionary standpoint, the genus Ophrys is very young and has few close relatives among other members of the orchid family.

In all Ophrys species the herbaceous part dies back in winter. Only the globose tubers remain in the soil, which at the beginning of the vegetative cycle produce new tubers that contain nutrient reserves for the new plant. As a result, during the flowering season the plant has two tubers. From the starch- and mucilage-rich tubers a medicinal substance — salep — is prepared, which is attributed with the ability to increase sexual vigor. Tubers were intensively harvested for this purpose. According to some reports, Kurdish traders in Turkey and Iraq still offer Ophrys tubers on the market.

Most Ophrys species, even as adults, are highly dependent on the presence of symbiotic fungi in the tissues of their roots and tubers. Therefore they have small, reduced leaves and cannot be transplanted to a new location. In many Ophrys species bluish-green glossy leaves develop already in autumn, and if temperature conditions permit, the plant continues to grow even in winter. However, leaves can be severely damaged by frost, especially in plants inhabiting northern and high-mountain areas.

Ophrys surpass almost all European orchids in the diversity of flower shapes and colors. On the erect, leafless-at-the-top stem there may be from 2 to 12 flowers (rarely more). But the main feature of these orchids is the extraordinary resemblance of the flowers to sitting insects.