John and Gerry's    Orchids of Britain and Europe

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Serapias strictiflora v distenta

This variety of S. strictiflora was first described by Helmut Presser in 2004 and its name literally means   straddled or spread, this being a reference to the way in which the lateral sepals have become elongated  and projected themselves forward.   This curious variation can occur in any part of the   range of the type species which is predominently the Algarve of southern Portugal, Andalucia in southern   Spain and some regions of north Africa. This genetic abnormality is highly uncommon and the   phenomenon has not been noted with any regularity in  any of the other Serapias species. The example illustrated here comes from the Alenquir district of central Portugal and dates from the 19th of  April