Early Marsh Orchid Description

Types

• Early marsh orchids are all the same species; seven subspecies exist across Europe and eastern Russia. Incarnata is the standard type and is the basal comparison for the six other subspecies: coccinea, cruenta, ochroleuca, serotina, pulchella and haematodes. The primary distinctions among these subspecies are flower color and minute flower petal shape or form variations.

Growth Characteristics

• Early marsh orchids grow as deciduous perennial wildflowers, losing their leaves in winter's cold. The plant persists over the years as an underground tuber root. Mature tubers develop two to five lobes which, when cut open, reveal a white- to ecru-colored starchy flesh. Early march orchids grow widespread across Europe, but within a habitat do not heavily carpet the ground. Sporadic plants rise up from the moist mixed grass-and-weed habitat.

Foliage

• The bright green leaves emerge from the tuber root and point upward. Each leaf looks like a sword and creates an above-ground plant about 8 to 12 inches tall. Among the various subspecies, some plants may display green leaves speckled with maroon dots. As the flower spike develops in mid- to late spring, two to three leaves arise from the elongating central flower stalk. These leaves also point upward, and their bases curl around the stalk itself. Overall, one early marsh orchid plant produces between four and eight leaves.

Flowers

• Blooming in June and July, the early marsh orchid displays 20 to 30 tiny orchid blossoms in a cluster called an inflorescence atop the tall flower stalk. Botanically, the inflorescence is described as upright, dense-clustered in a raceme. Blossoms open from the lower buds and progress upward in the raceme. Flower color varies among subspecies, from pinkish white to varying shades of pink-lavender, rosy violet, salmon-red, or coral-red. An individual blossom looks like a tiny, rounded urn with flaring petals at the top. The bottom petal or lip is large and speckled, and curves backward at its edges to look like a narrow keel. The smaller upper petal somewhat covers the opening to the male and female sex organs. Two additional, narrow earlike petals extend from both the left and right of the upper petal. The flower is pollinated by insects.