O. episcopalis was first described from Crete by Poiret in 1816 and is a member of the widespread and largely Eastern Mediterranean based O. bornmuelleri group of Ophrys.
Up until the turn of the 20th century most authorities believed the O. bornmuelleri group on Crete was only represented by O. episcopalis and that there were separate populations of an earlier flowering Ophrys which had become known as O. maxima (recently reclassified as O. colossaea on Rhodes). Research by Paulus and Hirth in 2009 confirmed that in fact both the early and late species shared the same pollinator and were therefore a single taxon. This view was later reinterpreted by Kreutz and he formally described O. taloniensis as the early flowering new species. A further member of the group has also been recognized from the island and this is the late flowering O. helios.
On Crete, there are therefore three similar Ophrys which are difficult to separate except by size and phenology. O. taloniensis flowers from mid March and is the smallest flower, O. episcopalis appears in early April and is significantly the largest flower, O. helios commences in mid April and is mid-sized between the two others. It is entirely conceivable that a visit to Crete in April would encounter all three species in flower concurrently. O. taloniensis would however be in poor condition at this late stage of its cycle, whilst the others just beginning. All three species are very variable but O. episcopalis more frequently appears in scolopaxoid and trapezoid form whereas the others are more often quadrangular, with less flared lip margins. It is also generally more colouful with a sometimes elaborately patterned speculum. The biggest differentiator is however its large size. The pictures date from the second half of April.
