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Pyramidal orchid

Anacamptis pyramidalis

Pyramidal orchid
Photo: The original uploader was (Automated conversion) at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0

A hardy perennial terrestrial orchid from the Mediterranean and western Europe, known for its dense pyramid of pink to purple flowers. It is grown in the wild and in gardens where it gets full sun and well-drained soil, and it is best left undisturbed since it is hard to transplant.

Family
Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Grows as
Perennial, Orchid
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly during the growing season and let the soil dry out between waterings; avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Free-draining loam, chalk or sandy soil; tolerates alkaline conditions.
Temperature
Hardy outdoors in temperate climates; tolerates winter cold well below 0 °C when dormant.
How easy
Hard
Native range
Europe, Medit. to N. Iran
Climate
temperate

About

Anacamptis pyramidalis, the pyramidal orchid, is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the genus Anacamptis of the family Orchidaceae. The scientific name Anacamptis derives from Greek ανακάμτειν 'anakamptein' meaning 'bend forward', while the Latin name pyramidalis refers to the pyramidal form of the inflorescence.

Where it grows

Anacamptis pyramidalis requires a sunny spot on diverse soils: loamy or clay. It can even grow on very alkaline soil. It can be found on meadows, in grassland, sand dunes, maquis as well as dry and well exposed slopes, at an altitude of 0–1,600 metres or more (0–5,250 ft approx.) above sea level.

Uses

The dried and ground tuber (from various species of Orchis and Anacamptis) can be made into a fine white powder, called salep. This is a very nutritious sweet starchlike substance. It is used in drinks, cereals and in making bread. In Turkey it is used in ice-creams. It was also used medicinally in diets for children and convalescents.

Other Anacamptis plants

Fan Lipped Orchid · Bug Orchid · Anacamptis israelitica · Loose-flowered orchid · Long-spurred orchid · Syrian Green Winged Orchid · Green-winged Orchid · Eurasian Marsh Orchid · Butterfly orchid · Holy Orchid · Anacamptis

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Anacamptis pyramidalis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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