Neotinea lactea
Species of plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Neotinea lactea, the milky orchid, is a species of orchid found in Europe from France to Turkey and in two North African countries: Algeria and Tunisia.[1] Its flowers are pale to light pink, reflecting its Latin root lacteus (milky).[2]
| Milky orchid | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
| Genus: | Neotinea |
| Species: | N. lactea |
| Binomial name | |
| Neotinea lactea (Poir.) R.M.Bateman, Pridgeon & M.W.Chase | |
| Synonyms | |
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The species were first described in 1798 by Poiret from Algeria.[3]
Description
Neotinea lactea is a robust polycarpic geophyte of 10 to 25 cm high when flowering. The flower stem has a round cross-section with a rosette of 4 to 6 leaves at the base and is slightly ribbed at the top, with several smaller leaves sheathing the stem higher up. The many small flowers form a dense cluster of up to 7 cm long and oval or cylindrical in shape.[4][5]
Habitat
Neotinea lactea prefers a dry calcareous soil with full sun to semi-shaded light. Plants can be found up to 1800 m elevation on calcareous grasslands, abandoned olive orchards, exposed locations in a garrigue and open forests.
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