| Orchis italica Poir., it is a tuberous geophyte, up to 20 – 50 cm tall, has an erect and robust scape, light green in colour. The basal leaves are gathered in a rosette and have characteristic wavy margins and can sometimes be spotted. The cauline leaves are smaller in size and wrap around the stem. The bracts are reduced to short scales. The inflorescence is dense and initially appears conical and then takes on a cylindrical shape once the flowers open. The individual flowers are pink with white parts. The sepals are lanceolate, pointed and have purple veins. They connive to form an elongated helmet. The petals are narrow and hidden under the sepals, of a more intense color. The labellum is typically three-lobed, flat and elongated. The lateral lobes are acute while the central one is again three-lobed with the central part much smaller than the lateral lobes. In this way it takes the shape of a little man, clearly visible in all the flowers. The color varies from white to pink to purple. Life Form: G, Flowering in: Feb-May, Vern: El-Hajul, Phytochoria: MED, The native range of this species is Medit. Notes: Wild in Libya.
For more information: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:648750-1, https://www.ipni.org/n/648750-1, https://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000259427, https://www.gbif.org/species/2849640, https://africanplantdatabase.ch/en/nomen/specie/161317/orchis-italica-poir, https://botany.cz/en/orchis-italica/, https://www.floradabruzzo.it/2021/02/18/orchis-italica/ |
| Distribution in Libya |
| Al-Jabal Al-Akhder |
| Reported from Gebel Akhder by Kieth Wadi Zaza 2003 Wadi El-Kouf 2014 |
| Bibliographic references: | |
| First: Encyclopedia Flora of Libyan: | |
| Jafri, S.M.H. & El-Gadi, A. (1985) Flora of Libya, Orchidaceae Vol. (119) Department of Botany, Al-Faateh Univ., Tripoli, Libya. | |
| Second: Researches and PhD theses, master theses, Sorted by Newest: | pdf files |
| El-Mokasabi, F M. (2014) Floristic Composition and Traditional Uses of Plant Species at Wadi Al-kuf, Al-Jabal Al-Akhder, Libya. American-Eurasian J. Agric. & Environ. Sci., 14 (8): 685-697, 2014, ISSN 1818-769,IDOSI Publications,2014 DOI: 10.5829/idosi. aejaes. 2014.14.08.12375. https://bit.ly/3VtCvAA, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/441b/23b83960f007044aca94e26f5c6b170fe102.pdf | Plant Species at Wadi Al-kuf 2014 |
| El-Barasi, Y. M., EI-Sherif, l. M. & Gawhari, A. M. H.(2003) Checklist and analysis of the flora and vegetation of Wadi Zaza at AI-Jabal AI Akhdar (Cyrenaica, Libya). Bocconea 16 (2): 1091-1105. 2003. – ISSN 1120-4060. https://bit.ly/3VowJ3q, http://www.herbmedit.org/bocconea/16-1091.pdf | flora and vegetation of Wadi Zaza 2003 |
