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Flowers: May - July.
Birdsnest Orchid is
rather a special plant. It is a sacrophyte, which means that it is
a plant without chlorophyll which lives on humus - decayed
vegetation. Such plants often live in the darker areas of
woodlands and forests where there is little competition from other
species. Instead of leaves, the erect stem has scale-like sheaths,
which overlap each other. The numerous flowers have rather a
sickly scent. They are yellowish brownish, but occasionally may be
grey-brown. The plant is up to 35 cm high.
Its habitat is in
Beech woods and other dark woods.
Birdsnest Orchid is locally widespread throughout the British
Isles.
There are rather similar looking plants to this Orchid in the
sacrophytic Broomrape family, for example Common and Greater
Broomrape, but they should not be confused because their habitat
differs.
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