Image of Marsh Helleborine

Description:

Slo.: navadna movirnica - syn.: Helleborine palustris (L.) Schrank, Serapias palustris L.) Mill. - Habitat: unmaintained grassland, not mowed or fertilized for a long time, near river Soa, flat terrain, open sunny place, alluvial, calcareous ground, shallow ground water, average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7-9 deg C, elevation 570 m (1.850 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. - Substratum: soil. - Comment: Epipactis palustris is one of the species of genus Epipactis, which is easy to find and properly determine. It is not so with other numerous members of this genus. Epipactis palustris also belongs to the three species (along with Epipactis atrorubens and Epipactis helleborine), which are the most frequent and wide spread in Slovenia and in the Alps and other European mountains and also outside of them. The plant loves humid places and calcareous ground. It is spread mostly at low elevations but can occasionally climb up to subalpine elevations. The flowers are relatively large and with little doubt the most beautiful in the genus. Picture 7 shows them in buds. They were growing in large groups of several ten plants along with Gymnadenia conopsea ssp. conopsea, Neotinea ustulata (syn.: Orchis ustulata), Gymnadenia odoratissima and Epipactis atrorubens. - Uredba o zavarovanih prostoiveih rastlinskih vrstah, poglavje A, Uradni list RS, t. 46/2004 (Regulation of protected wild plants, chapter A, Official Gazette of Republic Slovenia, no. 46/2004), (2004). Pravilnik o uvrstitvi ogroenih rastlinskih in ivalskih vrst v rdei seznam, Uradni list RS, t. 82/2002 (Regulation of enlisting of endangered plant and animal species onto Red List, Official Gazette of Republic Slovenia, no. 82/2002) (2002). Enlisted in the Slovene Red List of rare and endangered species, marked by 'V' representing a vulnerable species. - Ref.: (1) B.Dolinar, Kukavievke v Sloveniji (Orchidaceae of Slovenia) (in Slovenian), Pipinova Knjiga (2015), p 77. (2) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007) (in Slovene), p 763. (3) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 2., Haupt (2004), p 1098. (4) H.Kretzschmar, Die Orchideen Deutschlands und angrenzenden Lander, Quelle Meyer (2008), p 136. (5) H.Baumann, S. Kuenkele, R.Lorenz, Orchideen Europas, Ulmer (2006), p 89.