Epipactis helleborine

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Ordo: Asparagales

Familia: Orchidaceae
Subfamilia: Epidendroideae
Tribus: Neottieae
Genus: Epipactis
Species: Epipactis helleborine
Subspecies: (12)
E. h. subsp. bithynica – E. h. subsp. degenii – E. h. subsp. densifolia – E. h. subsp. helleborine – E. h. subsp. latina – E. h. subsp. leutei – E. h. subsp. levantina – E. h. subsp. molochina – E. h. subsp. neerlandica – E. h. subsp. orbicularis – E. h. subsp. schubertiorum – E. h. subsp. tangutica
Name

Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz, Stirp. Austr. Fasc., ed. 2, 2: 467 (1769)

Type species:

Synonymy

Basionym
Serapias helleborine L., Sp. Pl.: 949 (1753)
Homotypic
Helleborine helleborine (L.) Druce, Bot. Soc. Exch. Club Brit. Isles 7: 689 (1924 publ. 1925), nom. inval.
Epipactis latifolia subsp. helleborine (L.) Rivas Goday & Borja, Anales Inst. Bot. Cavanilles 19: 537 (1961), nom. illeg.
Heterotypic
vide: Epipactis helleborine subsp. helleborine

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Europe
Northern Europe
Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Ireland, Norway, Sweden.
Middle Europe
Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland.
Southwestern Europe
Corse, France, Portugal, Sardegna, Spain.
Southeastern Europe
Albania, Bulgaria, Greece,itzerland.html">Switzerland, Italy, Kriti, Romania, Sicilia, Turkey-in-Europe, Yugoslavia.
Eastern Europe
Belarus, Baltic States, Krym, Central European Russia, East European Russia, North European Russia, South European Russia, Northwest European Russia, Ukraine.
Africa
Northern Africa
Algeria, Morocco.
Asia-Temperate
Siberia
Altay, Buryatiya, Irkutsk Krasnoyarsk, West Siberia, Yakutiya.
Middle Asia
Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan.
Caucasus
North Caucasus, Transcaucasus.
Western Asia
Afghanistan, Cyprus, East Aegean Islands, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon-Syria, Palestine, Turkey.
China
China South-Central, Manchuria, China North-Central, Qinghai, China Southeast, Tibet, Xinjiang.
Asia-Tropical
Indian Subcontinent
East Himalaya, Nepal, Pakistan, West Himalaya.

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Crantz, H.J.N.v. 1769. Stirpium Austriarum Fasciculus 2: 467, pl. 57.
Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.W. & Rasmussen, F.N. (eds.) 2006. Genera Orchidacearum Volume 4 Epidendroideae (Part one); page 501 ff., Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-850712-7. Reference page.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Epipactis helleborine in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2019 June 24. Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Epipactis helleborine in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2019 June 24. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Epipactis helleborine. Published online. Accessed: 24 June 2019.
The Plant List 2013. Epipactis helleborine in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published online. Accessed: 2019 June 24.
Tropicos.org 2019. Epipactis helleborine. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 24 June 2019.

Vernacular names

العربية: أفيبقطس خربقي
català: Hel·leborina de fulles amples
čeština: Kruštík širolistý
Cymraeg: Y galdrist lydanddail
dansk: Skov-Hullæbe
Deutsch: Breitblättrige Stendelwurz
English: Broad-leaved Helleborine
español: Heleborina de hojas anchas
eesti: Laialehine neiuvaip
suomi: Lehtoneidonvaippa
français: Épipactis à larges feuilles
עברית: בן חורש רחב עלים, בן-חורש רחב-עלים
hornjoserbsce: Šěroki stawač
italiano: Elleborina comune
日本語: ハマカキラン
lietuvių: Plačialapis skiautalūpis
latviešu: Platlapu dzeguzene
norsk bokmål: Bredflangre, Breiflangre
Nederlands: Brede wespenorchis
polski: Kruszczyk szerokolistny
русский: Дремлик зимовниковый
slovenčina: Kruštík širokolistý
svenska: Skogsknipprot
Türkçe: Bindallı çiçeği
українська: Коручка чемерникоподібна
中文: 火烧兰, 火燒蘭

Epipactis helleborine, the broad-leaved helleborine, is a terrestrial species of orchid with a broad distribution. It is a long lived herb which varies morphologically with ability to self-pollinate.[3]

Description

Epipactis helleborine grows to a maximum height of 92 cm (36 in) and has broad dull green leaves which are strongly ribbed and flat.[4] The flowers are arranged in long drooping racemes with dull green sepals and shorter upper petals. The lower labellum is pale red and is much shorter than the upper petals.[5]

Achlorophyllous, white Epipactis helleborine plants have been found. Achlorophyllous forms tend to be shorter, as small as 17 cm.[4]

Flowering occurs June–September.[6]
Distribution

This species is widespread across much of Europe and Asia, from Portugal to China, as well as northern Africa.[1][7][8]

In North America, it is an introduced species and widely naturalized mostly in the Northeastern United States, eastern Canada and the Great Lakes Region, but also in scattered locations in other parts of the continent.[9][10][11] In the US it is sometimes referred to as the "weed orchid" or "weedy orchid" and continues to spread throughout the country to new areas including Michigan,[12] Wisconsin,[13] and the San Francisco Bay Area.[14]

Distribution in North America

Habitat

Found in woods and hedge-banks[15] and often not far from paths near human activity.[16] It is one of the most likely European orchids to be found within a city, with many sites for example in Glasgow, London and Moscow. Sometimes spotted beside car parks.[17]

Epipactis helleborine is known for its successful colonization of human-made or anthropogenic habitats such as parks, gardens or roadsides.[18] These roadside orchids exhibit special features such as large plant size and greater ability to produce flowers.[18] Pollination plays a huge role as pollinators such as Syrphidae, Culicidae, Apidae etc. possess greater species diversity and visits the flowering sites more in anthropogenic habitats as compared to native ones.[18] The visitation rates along with the reproductive success of these orchids are higher in large populations as they are more attractive to pollinators.[3]
Ecology
Hoverfly depositing an egg on an Epipactis helleborine leaf as a predatory response to aphids which are farmed by ants.

This species of orchid is pollinated by several species of Hymenoptera, particularly the common wasp, but also other species in the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula. Flowers release a sweet nectar to attract the wasps, which has an intoxicating effect on them.[19][20] Eight populations of Epipactis helleborine in central Europe (Lower Silesia, Poland) had their nectar studied and they were found to contain naturally occurring oxycodone (as well as another narcotic-like opioid) in minute amounts.[21]

Epipactis helleborine requires a mycorrhizal symbiosis to germinate successfully and remains partially dependent upon the fungus when plants mature, however it is not particularly selective among fungal species. Fungi associated with the live roots include Tuber, Helotiales, Peziza, Leptodontidium, Hydnotrya and Wilcoxina.[22][23]

It has been suggested that the presence of this orchid species in a woodland is an indicator that edible truffles can be found there,[24] but this is not always the case.
Subspecies

A rather long list of names have been proposed for subspecies, varieties and forms of Epipactis helleborine, far too many to list here.[25] This is not unusual for such a widespread species. At present (November 2021) only the following are accorded international acceptance:[25]

Epipactis helleborine subsp. bithynica (Robatsch) Kreutz - Turkey
Epipactis helleborine subsp. helleborine - widespread
Epipactis helleborine subsp. neerlandica (Verm.) Buttler - Great Britain, Sweden, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Germany
Epipactis helleborine var. tangutica (Schltr.) S.C.Chen & G.H.Zhu - China
Epipactis helleborine subsp. tremolsii (Pau) E.Klein - France, Spain, Portugal, Sardinia, Italy, Algeria, Morocco

References

Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Species, Epipactis helleborine
Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Epipactis helleborine subsp. helleborine, synonyms
Ehlers, B. K.; Olesen, J. M.; Ågren, J. (2002). "Floral morphology and reproductive success in the orchid Epipactis helleborine: regional and local across-habitat variation". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 236 (1/2): 19–32. doi:10.1007/s00606-002-0197-x. ISSN 0378-2697. JSTOR 23644960. S2CID 9878820.
General Morphology and Anatomy of Chlorophyll-free and Green Forms of Epipactis helleborine
Webb, D.A., Parnell, J. and Doogue,D . 1996. An Irish Flora. Dundalgan Press (W. Tempest) Ltd. Dundalk.ISBN 0-85221-131-7
First Nature - Epipactis Helleborine
Altervista Flora Italiana, Elleborine comune, Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz
Flora of China v 25 p 180, 火烧兰 huo shao lan, Epipactis helleborine (Linnaeus) Crantz
Flora of North America v 26 p 586, Epipactis helleborine (Linnaeus) Crantz
Biota of North America Program, county range map
"World Checklist of Selected Plant Families".
"Broad-leaved helleborine: A weedy orchid invading lawns and flowerbeds".
"Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas: Plants to Watch". Archived from the original on 2010-12-10.
"Epipactis helleborine".
Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg, E.F. 1968. Excursion Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press ISBN 0 521 04656 4
Beesley, S. and Wild, J. 1997. Urban Flora of Belfast. Institute of Irish Studies and The Queen's University of Belfast. ISBN 0-85389-695 X
PeerJ - Pollinator diversity and reproductive success of Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz (Orchidaceae) in anthropogenic and natural habitats
Rewicz, Agnieszka; Jaskuła, Radomir; Rewicz, Tomasz; Tończyk, Grzegorz (2017-04-18). "Pollinator diversity and reproductive success of Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz (Orchidaceae) in anthropogenic and natural habitats". PeerJ. 5: e3159. doi:10.7717/peerj.3159. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 5398293. PMID 28439457.
London Wildlife Trust - Orchid for July
Bioinfo - Epipactis helleborine
“Why do pollinators become 'sluggish'? Nectar chemical constituents from Epipactis helleborine L. Crantz Orchidaceae”. Applied Ecology & Environmental Research. 2005;3(2):29-38. Jakubska A, Przado D, Steininger M, Aniol-Kwiatkowska A, Kadej M.
Annals of Botany - Differences in mycorrhizal communities between Epipactis palustris, E. helleborine and its presumed sister species E. neerlandica
Mycorrhiza - Epipactis helleborine shows strong mycorrhizal preference towards ectomycorrhizal fungi with contrasting geographic distributions in Japan
Acta Biologica Szegediensis - Could orchids indicate truffle habitats? Mycorrhizal association between orchids and truffles
Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families - List of names for Epipactis helleborine