EPIPACTISZinn - HELLEBORINE
Scientific Description:
Erect perennials with unbranched rhizome and cord-like roots. Stems solitary or clustered. Leaves ovate to lanceolate, green. Inflorescence a lax to dense raceme, with green bracts; flowers ± nodding. Sepals and petals spreading or campanulate; labellum spurless, divided by a deep constriction into apical epichile and basal hypochile; hypochile concave, sometimes with side lobes; epichile usually with excrescences. Column rather short, rostellum present or nearly obsolete, with apical viscidium to which the powdery-granular pollinia are attached without caudicles. Ovary club-shaped, to 10(−18) mm, straight, with ± twisted pedicel; glabrous or minutely tomentose, ± pendent. Ripe capsule to 25 mm, pendent.
Reference:
Renz J & Taubenheim G (1984). Epipactis Zinn, In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 8: 462.
Public Description:
Epipactis is a genus of rhizomatous perennial orchids known as “helleborine”, occur in temperate and subtropical climates of America, Asia, and Europe. There are approximately 70 species in the world and 11 species (14 taxa) in Türkiye. These orchids grow in open spaces in forests, in undergrowth, on calcareous soils and are often found in wet dune-slacks near the sea. Their creeping, fleshy rhizomes grow offshoots, from which then emerge the 20–70 cm long stems during the next spring. Their colorful flowers grow from a terminal raceme and color can vary from greenish-white to violet and purple.
References:
Anonymous 1 (2016). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipactis/,Accessed date: 03.03.2016.
Anonymous 2 (2016). http://goorchids.northamericanorchidcenter.org/genus/epipactis/,Accessed date: 03.03.2016.
Anonymous 3 (2016). http://global.britannica.com/plant/Epipactis/, Accessed date: 03.03.2016.
Güler N (2012). Epipactis Zinn, In: Güner, A., Aslan, S., Ekim, T., Vural, M. & Babaç, M.T. (eds.), Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi (Damarlı Bitkiler). Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını. İstanbul, pp. 635–636.
