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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Ophrys speculum subsp. speculum Full Name: Ophrys speculum subsp. speculum Link nom. cons. 1800, J. Bot. (Schrader) 1799(2): 324 Common Names: Mirror Bee-orchid, Mirror Orchid, Looking-glass 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 speculum | | Subspecies | speculum | One of the most extraordinary species of Ophrys genus, with spectacular, blue shiny macula, rounded by thick dark red or violet hairs. Stigmatic cavity has particularities as it is covered by a very short gynostegium and a front bending dorsal sepal. Common in south continental Greece and the Peloponnese.
A miniature to small sized, cold to cool growing terrestrial orchid. It prefers poor grasslands, banks, abandoned cultivation, garrigue, scrub and open woodlands at elevations of sea level to 1200 meters (3900ft). The plant has 3 to 5 basal, oblong-lanceolate leaves and blooms in the early spring (March-April) on a terminal, erect, 20 to 30 cm (8" to 12") long, loosely 2 to 15 flower inflorescence..
Ophrys speculum subsp. speculum
Date taken: March 29, 2008 |
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Ophrys speculum subsp. speculum
Date taken: March 29, 2008 |
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Ophrys speculum subsp. speculum
Date taken: March 29, 2008 |
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