WildBristol.uk - Discovering Wildlife in Bristol

Widespread but generally scarce and sporadic in the South, more scattered further North. It has made a substantial increase in range in the 21st century and is one of the few orchids to have not only not declined but to have significantly increased. In Bristol it is rare but pops up from time to time in unusual places. Habitat includes: chalk / limestone grassland, meadows, sand dunes, roadside verges, railway banks, scrub, cliff tops, grikes of limestone pavement, wasteland, airfields, reservoirs, quarries, churchyards, gardens (I once recorded it in someones front garden - later destroyed for a driveway!), canals, marinas etc. Flowers: June to August. Growing habit: Perennial. Colonies are often short lived. This Orchid is unusual in that its leaves emerge in the Autumn, overwinter into spring then die back whilst flowering. Pollinators: Butterflies / Moths. Height: 10 to 25 cm (sometimes Up to 55 cm). It is the County flower of the Isle of White. The tuber is dried and ground to give a fine white powder known as 'salep'. A very nutritious, sweet and starch-like substance used in drinks, cereals, bread making, medicinally in diets for children and convalescents.