Species name :

Ophrys lupercalisDevillers-Tersch. & Devillers
Published in Naturalistes Belges 75(7 Suppl.): 373 (1994)

Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.)

Ophrys fusca subsp. luperclaes (Devillers-Tersch. & Devillers) Kreutz

Full list of synonyms : [Euro+Med] [PlantList] [IPNI] [POWO] [Catalogue of Life] [Worldplants.de]

Plant Family :

Orchidaceae Juss. (The Orchid Family)
41 species from the Orchidaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands.

English name(s) :

Lupercales Bee Orchid, Early Bee Orchid

Maltese name(s) :

Dubbiena tax-xitwa, Dubbiena bikrija

Status for Malta :

Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man

Frequency :

Very Common     Common    Frequent     Scarce     Rare    Very rare     Extinct

Growth form :

Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: GEOPHYTE ( bearing underground bulbs, rhizomes, stolons, etc. )
Germination [info]: Monocotyledon

Legal Protection :

Protected by law: Schedule VI of [S.L. 549.44] (strictly protected species)

Red List (1989) :

Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands

Flowering Time :

January – February

Colour of Flowers:

Brown or Dark

Toxicity:

Not particularly toxic

Name Derivation :

Ophrys: Eyebrow, referring to the brown, furry edges found in the flowering lips of several. (Latin origin )

lupercalis:

Planting in rural areas :

Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines