Appearance
"N. ustulata" grows from two spherical tubers with thick roots. It is believed that the plant can grow underground for 10-15 years before the first stem appears. Plants have 3 to 9 cm leaves with prominent veins, along with a couple of leaves typically around the flower stem, which can reach 28 cm, though typically less than 13 cm tall.Flowers are born in a dense cylindrical pattern, with individual plants capable of producing up to 70 flowers. The sepals and petals form a 3 mm hood that is reddish-brown, over a white crimson-spotted lower lip that is 4 mm.
Flowers have a strong fragrance that is described as similar to honey. "N. ustulata" flowers from May through June, with the subspecies, "Neotinea ustulata" subsp. "aestivalis" blooming in July in England. The common name comes from the tips of the flower buds having a burnt appearance.
Distribution
"N. ustulata" is distributed throughout central and south Europe, with its main populations in Spain and Greece in the south, reaching England and southern Sweden in the north, and reaching as far east as the Caucasus and Ural mountains.
Habitat
It grows as high as 2,400 m elevation in the Carpathian mountains and the Alps. It typically grows on chalky subsoil in grassland; fens and open pine forest; mountain meadows, valleys, and ledges; wet grasslands. The plant's largest population in northwest Europe is on Parsonage Down, in Wiltshire, England.References:
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