E. tremolsii
was first described by Pau from Barcelona, Spain in 1914 and was
named in honour of the 19th century Spanish botanist, F. Tremols y
Borrell. It is a member of the E. tremolii group which are all
characterised by strongly hairy stems and short, broad leaves
which tend to be densest towards the bottom third of the flowering
stem .
This group appears to be closely related to E. atrrorubens and it's thought that E. tremolsii is probably
one of its ancestors. The colouration of this species is often of a darker, redder hue similar than that of E. atrorubens, as is the case with the plants illustrated here.
This is an orchid with a wide, largely western Mediterranean distribution that may be found as far north
as the Vercors of France and reaching the Maghreb of northern Africa to the south. It also maintains a
limited outpost on the island of Sardinia. E. tremolsii is an orchid that tolerates a range of conditions but
as with many other Epipactis species, is typically found in a more shady position in woodland clearings and
edges where it can grow to a substantial 75 cms. The flowering stem can easily be confused with similar
species but is usually recognizable by the characteristic way in which the leaves are concentrated towards
its base, often forming a dense overlapping pyramid.
In the south of its range it freqently grows alongside E. lusitanica,
an orchid which has similar flowers but is normally a much shorter,
less robust plant. On more acidic soils however, it can appear
ecotypical and
and bear a close esemblance. The photos are from the Algarve and date from the middle of April. 
