O. celiensis was first described as a sub-species by Danesch and Danesch from Brindisi, Italy
in 1970 and its name refers to the region in which it was discovered, Ceglie-Messapico. It is a member of the O. fuciflora group of Ophrys.
The fuciflorid Ophrys of southern Italy have been a taxonomic conundrum for years and currently the picture is little clearer. O. celiensis was considered by many to be the result of hybridization involving O. oxyrrhynchos and O. apulica. As far as is known however, O. oxyrrhynchos had never been recorded from the area occupied by O. celiensis and more recent thinking suggests that this is correct as O. oxyrrhnchos does not occur in Italy outside Sicily. Plants formerly regarded as O. oxyrrhinchos from southern Italy have now been described as O. ingrassiae.
Whatever its true status, O. celiensis is an impressive and often bizarrely marked Ophrys that may be found in a limited area of south eastern Italy centred on central Puglia. It has also been found, albeit very rarely, further north in the Gargano peninsula. The lip is generally more or less trapezoid, sometimes scolopaxoid and invariably exhibits an expansive speculum pattern that can be both colourful and complex. The sepals are most commonly purplish pink and frequently washed green, sometimes heavily so. It can be extremely difficult to separate from O. ingrassiae which shares a similar range.
The photos are from Gargano and the Province of Lecce, dating from the second week of May.
The fuciflorid Ophrys of southern Italy have been a taxonomic conundrum for years and currently the picture is little clearer. O. celiensis was considered by many to be the result of hybridization involving O. oxyrrhynchos and O. apulica. As far as is known however, O. oxyrrhynchos had never been recorded from the area occupied by O. celiensis and more recent thinking suggests that this is correct as O. oxyrrhnchos does not occur in Italy outside Sicily. Plants formerly regarded as O. oxyrrhinchos from southern Italy have now been described as O. ingrassiae.
Whatever its true status, O. celiensis is an impressive and often bizarrely marked Ophrys that may be found in a limited area of south eastern Italy centred on central Puglia. It has also been found, albeit very rarely, further north in the Gargano peninsula. The lip is generally more or less trapezoid, sometimes scolopaxoid and invariably exhibits an expansive speculum pattern that can be both colourful and complex. The sepals are most commonly purplish pink and frequently washed green, sometimes heavily so. It can be extremely difficult to separate from O. ingrassiae which shares a similar range.
The photos are from Gargano and the Province of Lecce, dating from the second week of May.
.