Genus Serapias Linnaeus (1753.)

Etymology: named after the deity Serapis

Synonym: Helleborine Miller (1754.)

Subfamily: Orchidoideae Tribe: Orchideae Subtribe: Orchidinae

Type Species: Serapias lingua L. (1753.)

The erect, racemose inflorescence features large brownish bracts almost covering the flowers.

The spurless flower is the diagnostic feature distinguishing Serapias spp. from members of the closely related Orchis genus.

There are about a dozen terrestrial orchid species in this genus, distributed from Southern Europe to Asia Minor.

Found in western North Africa, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Yugoslavia, Albania, Greece and all the Mediteranean islands west of Crete as a cold- to cool-growing, small, terrestrial orchid from sand dune slacks, wet marsh, damp meadows and open fields below an elevation of 1200 meters.

It blooms in the spring on an erect, terminal, 10" long, laxly few to several flowered inflorescence, that has large bracts that almost cover the flowers.

Helleborine leucoglottis Steud. (1821.)
Helleborine Lingua Pers. (1807.)
Helleborine oxyglottis Pers. (1807.)
Serapias columnae (Rchb. f.) Lojacono (1909.)
Serapias excavata Schlechter (1923.)
Serapias glabra Lapeyr. (1813.)
Serapias laxiflora var. columnae Rchb. f. (?)
Serapias lingua subsp. stenopetala (Maire & Stephenson) Maire & Weiller (?)
Serapias parviflora var. columnae (Rchb. f.) Ascherson & Graebner (?)
Serapias stenopetala Maire & Stephenson (1930.)