This is the title species of the O. umbilicata group, all of which come from the eastern Mediterranean and particularly the Aegean basin. It was popularly known until the late 20th century as the Mount Carmel Ophrys, at which time the designation would have encompassed other group members that have subsequently been split off and described as new individual species. Its range was once thought to include Cyprus but the taxon in question has since been separated and formally renamed O. orientalis.

Unsurprisingly the name O. umbilicata refers to the umbilicus which is the central, navel like ocellus formed within the speculum. This feature is a characteristic feature of the species, albeit variable in form from virtually absent, often incomplete and sometimes with the ocellus duplicated and rarely triplicated.

Unlike most of the group, O. umbilicata is a quite common Ophrys and may be abundant in some of its stations, especially amongst the Aegean islands where its range can overlap with other similar species such as O. bucephala, O. rhodia and O. attica. Although some examples of possible hybridization have been recorded, it seems to be rare and even where two species grow in close proximity, the individual features of each remain largely pure and identifiable. Perhaps the most immediate and obvious characteristic of O. umbilicata is the usually white, sometimes pink sepals, whereas in the previously mentioned species these are invariably green. In common with the majority of the groups members, the dorsal sepal curves stongly downwards, often completely obscuring the column. In O. umbilicata the central spine of this sepal is heavily green lined. The photos are all from the Aegean archipeligo, dating from the first week of April.