Ophrys bertolonii Moretti (Orchid)

Bertoloni’s bee orchid – Ophrys bertolonii Moretti – (Orchid)

Perennial bulbous plant of the Orchid family -Orchidaceae- up to 40 cm. Basal lanceolate leaves. Flowers till 2 cm in loose spikes from 2 – 8. A notched central lip, 2 cm long; velvety, hairy, very dark, almost black with a dark blue spot on it. Perianth pink with 3 external segments broader than the internal ones; both the same length but the external darker and hairy. In dry grasslands and by the side of the roads.