Wikimedia Commons
Orchidaceae
Moorland Spotted Orchid
Dactylorhiza maculata
Wild beauty and rarity.
- Family
- Orchidaceae
- Genus
- Dactylorhiza
- Native to
- Europe, North Africa
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- herbaceous
- Height
- 6-18 in
- Sunlight
- full sun to partial shade
- Soil
- acidic, moist, peaty
- Water
- moderate to high
- Hardiness
- 4-8
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- The species name 'maculata' means spotted, referring to the dark blotches on its leaves.
- It forms a symbiotic relationship with soil fungi that helps it absorb nutrients in poor soils.
- The tubers were once used to make a nutritious drink called salep, popular in Ottoman Turkey.
- Each flower spike can carry up to 50 individual orchid blooms.
- It is one of the most common wild orchids in Britain, found on moorlands, heaths, and bogs.
Color meanings
0
rare beauty
1
wilderness
2
enchantment