Dactylorhiza fuchsii Common Spotted-orchid

A common orchid of base-rich or neutral soils in grasslands, roadsides and open woodland. The leaves usually have conspicuous purple spots or blotches and the inflorescence, which usually tapers to a narrow apex, is made up of densely-packed, pink or pale purple flowers. The lower lip of the flower, which is marked conspicuously with lines and dots, has three, well-defined lobes with a distinctive, narrow-triangular, central lobe. It is frequent throughout West Glamorgan in coastal dunes, calcareous grasslands and particularly along forest roads that have been dressed with calcareous gravel. The hybrid between this species and Dactylorhiza pratermissa is frequent in some areas.

Native