O. personata was first described by Delforge from Abruzzo, Italy in 2015 and is a member of the O. tetraloniae group. Its name is from the latin "personatus" meaning "masked".
It was originally believed, this orchid represented Italian populations of the Croatian species, O. dinarica, an understandable opinion given the close similarities between the two. Delforge has now determined that O. dinarica should again be considered, a Croatian endemic. O. personata meanwhile, is an Italian endemic that can be found in the Appenine mountains of central peninsula Italy, from Umbria in the north to Abruzzo in the south. It should be mentioned however that O. personata is morphologically indistinguishable from the more northerly species O. druentica and many leading authorities believe them to be synonymous, It is further considered by some that they ere both indivisible from O. dinarica.
One of the more obvious identifying characteristic of O. personata (and O. druentica) is the partial or complete division of the basal field into two separate hemispheres. This is very similar to O. dinarica but as with that species and despite the fact that it is most frequently photographed in this form, the feature only occurs sporadically in less than a third of the population. Other distinguishing features include the multi toothed appendage which is well developed and forward pointing, the elongated column and the portly waistline. The lip may be rectangular or strongly scolopaxoid with a usually complex, often confused specular pattern and modest basal swellings.
The photos are from both Umbria and Abruzzo, dating from the middle of May.
