Ophrys apifera Huds., 1762

Common names

🇬🇧 Bee Orchid
🇫🇷 Ophrys abeille

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Orchideae
Subtribe: Orchidinae
Genus: Ophrys
Species: Ophrys apifera

Varieties

Ophrys apifera var. aurita

Ophrys apifera var. curviflora

Presence

Present.

Conservation status

Red List (Metropolitan France): LC Least Concern
Red List (Europe): LC Least Concern

Notes

The following infraspecific taxa are accepted:

O. apifera var. almaracensis Pérez-Chisc., Durán Oliva & Gil Llano, 1991;
O. apifera var. apifera Huds., 1762, P;
O. apifera var. atrofusca J.Dierckx, Kreutz, D.Riepe & L.Segers, 2016;
O. apifera var. aurita (Moggr.) Gremli, 1887;
O. apifera var. austriaca (Wiesb. ex Dichtl) Beck, 1890;
O. apifera var. austroalsatica (Sprunger & Rolf Kühn) Kreutz, 2024;
O. apifera var. badensis Lewis & Kreutz, 2012;
O. apifera var. basiliensis S.Schwegler & Matthies, 2004;
O. apifera var. belgarum Turner Ettl., 1998;
O. apifera var. botteronii (Chodat) Brand, 1905;
O. apifera var. brevilabellata Kreutz, R.Selig & Zelesny, 2007;
O. apifera var. cambrensis M.J.Clark, 2014;
O. apifera var. chlorantha (Hegetschw.) Nyman, 1882;
O. apifera var. curviflora A.Soulié, 2004;
O. apifera var. emanuelae Benigni, Barigelli & Petroselli, 2021;
O. apifera var. fraternalis Robles, D.Quintana, Díaz-Romera & M.Becerra, 2024;
O. apifera var. fulvofusca M.P.Grasso & Scrugli, 1987;
O. apifera var. immaculata Bréb., 1849;
O. apifera var. jenensis Voelckel & E.Theel, 2017;
O. apifera var. jurana (Ruppert ex W.Zimmerm.) J.Schuster, 1935;
O. apifera var. laetitiae Klaver, 2010;
O. apifera var. libanotica Addam & Bou-Hamdan, 2015;
O. apifera var. maculata Jakely & Könighofer, 2021;
O. apifera var. patinata U.Grabner & Kreutz, 2011;
O. apifera var. patriciae Bocchini, Barigelli, Petroselli & Benigni, 2024;
O. apifera var. punctata Jakely & Könighofer, 2021;
O. apifera var. purpurea (Tausch) Nyman, 1882;
O. apifera var. quintianensis Berzacola, 2022;
O. apifera var. renatae K.Barbieri, L.Barbieri & Contorni, 2019;
O. apifera var. saraepontana (Ruppert) H.Baumgartner bis & Kreutz, 2011;
O. apifera var. tilaventina Nonis & Liverani, 1997;
O. apifera var. trollii (Hegetschw.) Rchb.f., 1851;
O. apifera var. urbinensis Klaver, 2016.

Some of these taxa are likely aberrant forms without real taxonomic value rather than true varieties. The variety rank is retained here for consistency.

Hybridizes with:

O. arachnitiformis Gren. & Philippe, 1860 to produce O. × domus-maria M.P.Grasso, 1989, P;
O. araneola Rchb., 1830 to produce O. × luizetii E.G.Camus, 1891, P;
O. aveyronensis (J.J.Wood) H.Baumann & Künkele, 1986 to produce O. × corvey-bironii J.-M.Lewin, 2000, P;
O. bombyliflora Link, 1800 to produce O. × circae W.Rossi & Prola, 1983, P;
O. holosericea (Burm.f.) Greuter, 1967 to produce O. × albertiana E.G.Camus, 1891, P;
O. insectifera L., 1753 to produce O. × pietzschii Kümpel ex Rumsey & H.J.Crouch, 2012, P;
O. scolopax Cav, 1793 to produce O. × minuticauda Duffort, 1902, P;
O. sphegodes Mill., 1768 to produce O. × pseudoapifera Caldesi, 1880, P.

Photographs

img/ophrys-apifera-6.webp — *Ophrys apifera*

img/ophrys-apifera.webp — *Ophrys apifera*

img/ophrys-apifera-2.webp — *Ophrys apifera*

img/ophrys-apifera-3.webp — *Ophrys apifera*

img/ophrys-apifera-5.webp — *Ophrys apifera*

img/ophrys-apifera-4.webp — *Ophrys apifera*

img/ophrys-apifera-7.webp — *Ophrys apifera* - Immature seed capsule

Sources

Kühn, R., Pedersen, H.Æ., & Cribb, P. (2020). Orchidées d’Europe et de Méditerranée (p. 234). Biotope.
Rankou, H. (2011). Ophrys apifera (Europe assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2011. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/176031/7178911
Tison, J.M., & de Foucault, B. (2014). Flora Gallica : Flore de France (p. 178). Biotope.