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Western Isles Wildflowers - Orchids of The Hebrides
Here in The Western Isles, there are around seven different species of Orchids that can be seen, some of which can readily be seen throughout the spring and summer months and others which are seen only rarely.
Main Types of Orchids in The Western Isles
The main orchids which you will see are the Hebridean Spotted Orchid, the Heath Spotted Orchid, The Northern Marsh Orchid and the Early Marsh Orchid and many of these orchids often hybridise which results in crosses of the different species. A little more scarce are the The Broad Leafed Orchid, with the Western Marsh Orchid which has only been seen on North Uist and the Lapland Marsh Orchid which has only been seen on The Isle of Harris.
No Spotted or Common Spotted Orchids - Sub Species
The Spotted Orchids that can be seen elsewhere in the UK, we don't get here in the Western Isles, we have the sub species the Hebridean Spotted Orchid and likewise for the Common Spotted Orchids, which aren't seen here, it is the sub species, the Heath Orchid that we see here in The Hebrides.
White and Green Orchids
There are also some really pretty pale orchids, from pale Yellow through to the white and green orchids. The Great Butterfly Orchid and the Lesser Butterfly Orchid aren't seen quite as often and there are also orchids like the Common and Lesser Tayblade, the Frog Orchid and the Bog Orchid.
A little more rarely seen orchids are the Fragarant Orchid and Lady Tresses Orchid, the orchid which you will be lucky to see and then probably only on Vatersay, Benbecula or Barra.
I have managed to spot some of the more common orchids along with the Lesser Butterfly Orchid and have created detail pages for these orchids. I am hoping that as time goes on I will see many more and detail these as and when. Should you find that I have documented any flowers, incorrectly or wrongly identified any, I will be pleased if you could email chris@gcwweb.com and I will endeavour to correct. I am a novice in flower identification and am learning as I go along. Any information will be great fully received.
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Hebridean Spotted Orchids
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These pretty orchids are a sub species of the Spotted Orchids which are found elsewhere in the UK and are only to be found here in The Western Isles. This pretty wild flower the hebridean spotted orchid just grows wild usually on machair's or dunes or damp meadows that are near to the sea. The shells that are broken up in the sand have served to prepare the ground for this pretty wildflower. The petals and leaves help to identify it. The petal has a a central lobe which is somewhat longer and more pointed than the two lobes to its side and the leaves are dark spotted and are rounded at the end rather than pointed.
Click for more information and pictures about The Hebridean Spotted Orchids |
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Heath Spotted Orchids
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This lovely orchid - the heath spotted orchid is specific to the western isles. The heath orchid is quite similar to the hebridean spotted orchid and its quite difficult to tell them apart. The heath orchid does have a slight scent and is often a very pale pinky colour almost mauve or a light purple colour. Here in the Hebrides, it flowers from March to August. It is often the case that the orchid you are looking at may be a cross between the hebridean spotted and the heath spotted orchid
Click for more information and pictures about The Heath Spotted Orchids |
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Northern Marsh Orchids
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The intense colours of the Northern Marsh Orchid, which can be anything from a deep purple to magenta or even a very deep pink make it just a stunning wildflower orchid. A really beautiful purple orchid, the northern marsh orchid. . A robust plant 10-35cm tall, with four to six broad green pointed stem leaves. The flower spike is dense and square topped, with 10-40 bright purple to magenta coloured flowers. A plant of wet ground in dune-slacks, marshes and fens where the water is not too acidic. As its name suggests, the northern marsh orchid mostly inhabits the northern half of Britain.
Click for more information and pictures about The Northern Marsh Orchids
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Early Marsh Marsh Orchids
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This lovely orchid - the early marsh orchid seen in the western isles is sometimes called the 'meadow orchid' is really beautiful. The Early Marsh-Orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata) is very variable in the colour of the flowers, but the shape of the lip is very distinctive and unique to the species. The really deep scarlet ones are ssp coccine
In the bottom part of the flower floret - the sides of the lip are bent backwards so that the lip is keeled and appears very narrow. (see opposite) The lip is elongated and narrow, with a pattern of swirls and loops leading to the centre of the flower.
Click for more information and pictures about The Early Marsh Orchids
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Lesser Butterfly Orchids
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Although in decline and a little rare than some of the other orchids, the Lesser Butterfly orchids can be seen here in The Western Isles. This lovely hebridean wildflowers show their heads occasionally in The Isle of Harris. The stems reach up to 10 inches in height although the one pictured above was actually only about 6 inches high.
This tiny orchid is quite rare but is very delicate and beautiful and was in recently years been a wildflower plant that affords a priority for conservation action. Once seen throughout the UK, its stronghold now is Western Scotland, particularly The Western Isles, The Uists now have quite a few of this lovely orchid species
Click for more information and pictures about The Lesser Butterfly Orchids
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| Orchid Overview - Information and Folklore |
Root Capable of Sprouting New Plants
Orchids all have either a root capable of sprouting a new plant (tuberous stock) or the base of the stem is swollen into a bulb-like growth.
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Folklore - The Greeks
The ancient Greeks gave this flowers family its name. The word orkhis means testicle. They’re named this because of the shape of their bulbous roots.In classical mythology, Orchis, the son of a satyr and a nymph, was turned into a flower after his death.
In his Materia Medica, the first century A.D. Greek physician Dioscorides hypothesized that orchids influenced sexuality. Ever since, people have associated the plant with virility, fertility, sex determination, and other aspects of reproduction, inspired perhaps by the exotic appearance, fragrance, and frankly erotic aspect of its flower’s sexual parts.
Sex Their Unborn Babies
It was said that in Ancient Greece, parents believed they could control the sex of their unborn children with orchid roots. If the father ate large, new tubers, the child would be male; if the mother ate small tubers, the child would be female
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The Chinese and Orchids
The ancient Chinese were one of the first people to use orchids as medicine, and some of the earliest paintings of orchids can be found on the oldest of Chinese vases.
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Vanilla Flavouring From Orchids
Today, one of our most popular flavourings Vanilla is derived from the seed pods of orchids.
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Costa Rica - Orchid - National Flower
The orchid the "Guaria Morada" is the Nation flower of Costa Rica. This orchid species gets nutrients from the air, rain, dust and resides stored around the bases of trees. The flower is associated with the beauty of Costa Rican ladies and this orchid is said to bring unions, family understanding, peace and love and hope for the future.
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Largest Orchid in The World - 20 metres tall
The largest orchid in the world can grow up to 20 metres tall. It is called Grammatophyllum speciosum and can weigh up to 2000pound / 900 kilograms. It can produce up to 10,000 flowers on a mature plant.The species is found in Malaysia, the Solomon Islands, Sumatra, the Philippines, Papua and New Guinea.
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No Blue Coloured Orchid
Orchids come in many different colours, including green and even black.The one colour you’ll never see an orchid in is blue.
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New Orchid Species
New species of orchids are still being discovered each year. In fact, between 200 and 300 new types are found annually.
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Western Isles Wildflowers - Flora & Flowers of The Outer Hebrides - Hebridean Wild Flowers - Orchids |
This section of the website details the flowers that I have seen todate.
Should I have identified any of the wildflowers incorrectly or given information that isn't correct - All comments welcome Chris@GcwWeb.com
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