S. orientalis was first described by Greuter as S. vomeracea subsp. orientalis but subsequently promoted to full species status by Baumann and Kunkele in 1972. Its name is a reference to the orchids easterly distribution in the Mediterranean.

Its full range is not completely understood due to confusion with close relative S. carica, to which it bears a close resemblance. It is however known with certainty from Crete, central and southern Greece and much of the Aegean basin. S. orientalis is a localized species but can be abundant in its favoured locations, this generally being a dry position in full sun, on alkaline soils. It is a distinctive orchid, especially when in its anthocyanin depleted orange/yellow form. Where its colouration is the ubiquitous Serapias red, it may easily be confused with S. carica, a species with a significant overlap of range in the Aegean. A key feature differentiating these two is the length of the bract, which in S. carica is shorter than the hood and in S. orientalis, at least equal in length, often marginally longer. The former also exhibits a wider, hairier, darker coloured epichile and is far less likely to be hypochromatic or anthocyanin deficient. This commonly encountered condition produces a striking pale yellow or orange flower which in some areas is more numerous than their typically coloured brethren.

As with most Serapias species, hybridization is frequent and intermediate populations prevalent. S. orientalis maintains a varietal outpost in Crete, together with some other parts of southern Greece with var. cordigeroides, a particularly handsome variety which is so named because of the contrasting S. cordigera like darkness of its lip. The illustrations are from Crete, Kos and the Peloponnese, dating from early April.