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Athens (Attica) | Attica | Athens City

Mt. Hymettus Orchids

Welcome to Athens and our Orchids Album!

The vast majority of the inquisitive visitors to Athens are usually facing a big dilemma: Spend some time here before their island hopping to the Aegean or abandon everything and rush to their dream destination as soon as possible?

Trying to make a decision one is tempted, mainly or exclusively, by the Acropolis, dominating the city skyline, and the New Acropolis museum. Few are aware that in the same city, less than two miles away, there is one of the top museums worldwide, namely the National Archaeological Museum, full to the brim with masterpieces of prehistoric and historic art of utmost importance: the Mycenaean gold jewels and artifacts are just a few of these treasures.

As if these were not enough, this album comes to make things worse. Because, once on the Acropolis rock, or even in the Acropolis Museum, your view to the east is blocked by Mt. Hymettus, a mountain offering one of the richest habitats as regards its flora. To the plant enthusiast Greece in general, Attica in particular, are "dreams come true" and exploring them, camera in hand, is an absolute must. The photos in this album (and the ones to appear in this site in the near future) are meant to be just an appetizer, hoping to make Mt. Hymettus appealing to the "beauty enthusiast" as well.

If you wish to take part in a photographic plant safari to Mt. Hymettus, please do contact us. We'll take you around to spots where the chances of finding orchids are best. Late winter to midsummer is when they're more frequent: different species bloom at varying periods. The captions of the photos in this album inform you about the date they were taken.

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Click on any of the pictures to enlarge.

Ophrys sphegodes subsp. aesculapii

Full Name: Ophrys sphegodes subsp. aesculapii (Renz) Soó ex J.J.Wood 1980, Orchidee (Hamburg) 31: 232

Common Name: Wasp-Like Ophrys, Early Spider Orchid

Taxonomy:

Regnum Plantae
Divisio Tracheophyta
Subdivisio Spermatophytina
Class Magnoliopsida
Superordo Lilianae
Ordo Asparagales
Familia Orchidaceae
Subfamilia Orchidoideae
Tribus Orchidae
Subtribus Orchidinae
Alliance Orchis
Genus Ophrys
Species Ophrys sphegodes
Subspecies aesculapii

This orchid grows in short grasslands, meadows, sometimes marshy, garrigue, open woodlands, and scrub, at elevations up to 1300 meters (3300ft). The plant size is small to medium, depending on the soil. It prefers mild climatic conditions, cool to light cold in the early spring. It has 5 to 9 basal, ovate-lanceolate leaves, the lax is erect, terminal 45 cm (18 in) long. The inflorescence consists of up to nine blossoms.
This subspecies has characteristically jellow labellum edge, a speculum (macula) that has a white perimeter and a light-colored spot in the center of the stigmatic cavity.



Ophrys sphegodes sspec. aesculapii

Ophrys sphegodes sspec. aesculapii


Date taken: March 3, 2008
Ophrys sphegodes sspec. aesculapii

Ophrys sphegodes sspec. aesculapii


Date taken: March 3, 2008
Ophrys sphegodes sspec. aesculapii

Ophrys sphegodes sspec. aesculapii


Date taken: March 3, 2008
Ophrys sphegodes sspec. aesculapii

Ophrys sphegodes sspec. aesculapii


Date taken: March 3, 2008
Ophrys sphegodes sspec. aesculapii

Ophrys sphegodes sspec. aesculapii


Date taken: March 3, 2008

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