!Comperia comperiana (Steven) Asch. & Graebn. 1907

Plant In Situ Crimea spring 2008

Habitat In Situ Crimea spring 2008 Photos by Bohdan Synko, Kyiv Orchid Society, Ukraine

LATE and EARLY

Common Name Compere's Comperia [French Colonist and landowner in Crimea 1800's]

Flower Size 1.5" [3.75 cm]

Found in the Aegean sea, Crimea, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Iran on dry calcareous substrates in open woodlands of pine, cypress and deciduous trees at elevations of 400 to 2000 meters as a small to large sized, cold growing terrestrial with a green stem carrying numerous, of decreasing size, basal 2 to 4, oblong-elliptic, near erect, 2 to 3, cauline, more acute leaves with sheathing bracts which are 1 to 2 times longer than the ovaries that blooms in the late spring and early summer on a terminal, erect, lax, cylindrical to 10" [25cm] long, 5 to 20 flowered inflorescence.

Synonyms Comperia karduchorum Bornm. & Kraenzl. 1895; Comperia taurica K.Koch 1849; Himantoglossum comperianum (Steven) P.Delforge 1999; *Orchis comperiana Steven 1829; Orchis comperiana f. karduchorum (Bornm. & Kraenzl.) Soó 1927; Orchis karduchorum (Bornm. & Kraenzl.) Schltr. 1914

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 as Orchis comperiana; Die Orchideen Schlechter 1915 as Orchis karduchorum; Die Die Orchideen 3 Auflage Bd 1 Sonderabdruck aus Schlechter Lieferung 4 193 to 256 Brieger, Maatsch and Senghas 1973 as C taurica; AOS Bulletin Vol 49 No 4 1980 photo fide; Genera Orchidacearum Vol 2 Part One Pridgeon, Cribb, Chase and Rasmussen 2001 photo/drawing fide; Orchids of Europe, North Africa and the Middle east Delforge 2005 as Himantoglossum comperianum; Orchid Digest Vol 72 #2 2008 photo fide;

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