Cephalanthera damasonium(Mill.) Druce - White Helleborine
Scientific Description:
Plants stout, 20–50(−70) cm. Leaves few, distant, lower ovate-oblong, upper oblong-lanceolate, passing gradually into bracts. Spike lax, (1−)3−12(−18) flowered. Lower bracts leaf-like, exceeding flowers; upper ± equalling ovary. Flowers creamy-white, usually erect, not opening wide. Sepals and petals oblong-lanceolate, to 20 mm. Hypochile saccate, with yellow patch inside, lateral lobes clasping column; epichile cordate-triangular, obtuse, with 3 orange-yellow crests. Column 10 mm. Ovary glabrous, much elongated and erect after flowering.
Flowering time: May−July.
Habitat: Shady places in deciduous and coniferous forest, mainly in montane region, nr s.l.−1800 m.
Reference:
Renz J & Taubenheim G (1984). Cephalanthera damasonium (Miller) Druce, In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 8: 460–461.
Public Description:
Cephalanthera damasonium, common name the “white helleborine”, is widespread across much of Europe and the Middle East from England and Sweden to Russia, Türkiye and Iran. It is a shade-loving rhizomatous perennial herb grows up to 60 cm in height, has heavily-ribbed oval leaves, white flowers in woods with little ground cover. It is usually self-pollinated and the flowers often fail to open entirely.
References:
Anonymous 1 (2016). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cephalanthera_damasonium/, Accessed date: 03.03.2016.
Anonymous 2 (2016). http://www.brc.ac.uk/plantatlas/index.php?q=node/1771/, Accessed date: 03.03.2016.
Güler N (2012). Cephalanthera Rich., 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. 630–631.