As its name suggests O. attica was first described from the Attica region, east of Athens, Greece by Boissier and Orphanides in 1859.
Along with its close cousin O. umbilicata, this plant was previously better known as the Mount Carmel orchid and over the years has been described as a variety or sub-species of several Ophrys, including very recently O. scolopax. It is currently installed correctly within the O. umbilicata group, all of whose members reside in the eastern Mediterranean and near east. The range of O. attica extends from southern Albania, the Ionian islands, through Greece and the Aegean islands to Anatolia. It is relatively undemanding in its choice of habitat and will tolerate mid shade although always on calcareous soils.
The members of the O. umbilicata group share distinct morphological similarities and separating them can sometimes be challenging. O. attica however only has a significant range overlap with O. umbilicata and differentiating the two is usually straightforward by means of sepal colouration. The former always has green sepals whereas the latter can range from white to pink, though hybridization between the two species can create populations of intermediates. There are some limited range convergences in the Aegean with both O. bucephala and O. rhodia but these species are significantly larger flowered.
The photos are from the Peloponnese, Rhodes and the Ionian island of Cephalonia, dating from early April at which time the plants were in full flower.
The following three pictures depict examples of O. attica from Mt Hymettus, Athens that are untypically marked with a marbled speculum.
