Taxonomy

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

Forms

Ophrys apifera f. aurita

Ophrys apifera f. 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: ¹

• O. apifera f. almaracensis (Pérez-Chisc., Durán Oliva & Gil Llano) P.Delforge, 2007: deformed, reddish-brown labellum without a macula, appendix cuved forward;
• O. apifera f. apifera Huds., 1762: type form, pink to purple (rarely white) sepals streaked with green, short green lateral petals, convex labellum, appendix curved under the labellum, variable but regular macula;
• O. apifera f. aurita (Moggr.) Soó, 1928: elongated lateral petals;
• O. apifera f. badensis (L.Lewis & Kreutz) P.Delforge, 2012: sepaloid petals;
• O. apifera f. basiliensis (S.Schwegler & Matthies) P.Delforge, 2006: sepaloid petals, white sepals and petals, yellowish-green labellum (f. badensis + f. chlorantha);
• O. apifera f. bicolor (E.Nelson) P.D.Sell, 1996: bicolored labellum with yellowish basal part and brown distal part:
• O. apifera f. brevilabellata (Kreutz, R.Selig & Zelesny) P.Delforge, 2008: deformed, bicolored labellum with yellowish basal part and brown distal part (f. bicolor + f. trollii):
• O. apifera f. chlorantha (Hegetschw.) Biagioli, De Simoni, Doro & Klaver, 2024: white sepals, yellowish-green labellum and petals;
• O. apifera f. curviflora (A.Soulié) P.Delforge, 1996: concave labellum, appendix cuved forward;
• O. apifera f. flavescens (Rosbach) P.D.Sell, 1996: yellowish-brown labellum;
• O. apifera f. friburgensis (Freyhold) M.Schulze, 1899: sepaloid petals, deformed labellum with an irregular macula (f. badensis + f. trollii);
• O. apifera f. fulvofusca (M.P.Grasso & Scrugli) P.Delforge, 2007: reddish-brown labellum without a macula;
• O. apifera f. trollii (Hegetschw.) P.D.Sell, 1996: deformed, elongated labellum with an irregular macula.

Hybridizes with:

• O. × arachnitiformis Gren. & M.Philippe, 1859 (O. holosericea × O. sphegodes) to produce O. × domus-maria M.P.Grasso, 1989, P;
• O. bombyliflora Link, 1800 to produce O. × circaea 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. speculum Link, 1800 to produce O. × soller M.Henkel, 2000, P (het. syn. O. × chobautii B.Tyteca & D.Tyteca, 1983);
• O. sphegodes subsp. araneola (Rchb.) M.Laínz, 1983 to produce O. × luizetii E.G.Camus, 1891, P.

Photographs

Sources

• Kühn, R., Pedersen, H.Æ., & Cribb, P. (2020). Orchidées d’Europe et de Méditerranée (p. 234). Biotope.

• Mathé, H., & Pierné, A. (2021). L’ophrys abeille, une orchidée polymorphe. Bulletin de la Société Française d’Orchidophilie de Lorraine-Alsace, Février 2021, 61-76.

• 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.