O. cesmeensis was first described from Ismir, Anatolia as a subspecies of O. attaviria
by Kreutz in 2003 and subsequently promoted to full species status by
Delforge. Its name refers to the Cesme Peninsula, the region in which
it was discovered.
This species was originally thought to be endemic to Anatolia and more particularly to the Cesme Peninsula which juts into the Aegean less than 10 kms from the Greek island of Chios. It is perhaps no surprise therefore that the taxon has now been reported not just from Chios but from its northerly neighbour, Lesbos. O. cesmeensis is by any standards an impressive Ophrys with up to six large flowers held on a robust stem above a rosette of silvery green leaves. Whilst this latter characteristic can be noted in many Ophrys species, it is particularly pronounced in this rare and little researched orchid.
Unlike many Pseudophrys, O. cesmeensis generally seems to shun hot, dry conditions preferring a degree of shade and moist, alkaline soils, conditions which can be commonly found in open pine woods, abandoned olive groves and heavily overgrown cultivation. The large flowers serve to easily distinguish this species from similarly marked taxa but a further distinctive characteristic is the lip which is markedly reflexed at both basal and distal ends whilst exhibiting a flat spot in the centre. There is always a thick yellow band around the margins of the lip though this can often be partially concealed by the recurvature of mature flowers.
These photographs come from the Greek, Aegean islands of Chios and Lesbos, dating from the first week of April.
This species was originally thought to be endemic to Anatolia and more particularly to the Cesme Peninsula which juts into the Aegean less than 10 kms from the Greek island of Chios. It is perhaps no surprise therefore that the taxon has now been reported not just from Chios but from its northerly neighbour, Lesbos. O. cesmeensis is by any standards an impressive Ophrys with up to six large flowers held on a robust stem above a rosette of silvery green leaves. Whilst this latter characteristic can be noted in many Ophrys species, it is particularly pronounced in this rare and little researched orchid.
Unlike many Pseudophrys, O. cesmeensis generally seems to shun hot, dry conditions preferring a degree of shade and moist, alkaline soils, conditions which can be commonly found in open pine woods, abandoned olive groves and heavily overgrown cultivation. The large flowers serve to easily distinguish this species from similarly marked taxa but a further distinctive characteristic is the lip which is markedly reflexed at both basal and distal ends whilst exhibiting a flat spot in the centre. There is always a thick yellow band around the margins of the lip though this can often be partially concealed by the recurvature of mature flowers.
These photographs come from the Greek, Aegean islands of Chios and Lesbos, dating from the first week of April.
