This orchid had been recognized from the Gargano peninsula for many years and until recently was known by several different identities including O. cornuta and O. rhodostephane. The latter identification was thought to be part of a disjunct colony west of its normal and restricted Dalmatian range across the Adriatic. This theory never fitted comfortably with some authorities and for several reasons, not least the colouration of the sepals. In O. rhodostephane, sepal colour is predominantly pink (and often vividly so) whereas with O. montis-gargani, white or very pale pink is the norm. Its general resemblance to O. rhodostephane is however undeniable and many still consider them to be synonymous.
Uncertainties regarding its taxonomic status were eventually resolved in 2010 by a group of Dutch botanists headed by Van de Vijver and Van Looken who collected and formally described the orchid under the name of O. oestrifera ssp montis-gargani. Its distribution is not known with certainty but it has several stations within the Gargano peninsula and may well have a wider range on the south east coast of Italy. It is not however a common species anywhere within its known range.
Like O. rhodostephane it is an Ophrys of alkaline habitats, with a preference for stony, dry soil, often with a degree of shade. In the four sites known to the authors it is growing either in the shade of thick scrub or in two of the cases, in shadowy clearings within relatively dense mixed woodland. This preference for alkaline woodland renders O. montis-gargani vulnerable and it is becoming increasingly threatened by habitat loss due to deforestation and fires.
All the photographs are from Gargano and date from the first week of May.
