Identification Guide

Scotland has around 20–25 regularly occurring orchid species (depending on how microspecies are treated), and they can be daunting at first because many are greenish and superficially similar. Fortunately, most can be identified by working through a few key features:

First look: the flower shape

Orchid flowers have three outer sepals, two inner petals, and a modified lower petal called the lip (labellum). The lip is often the most important feature.

1. Spotted leaves?

If the leaves are heavily spotted with dark blotches, you are probably looking at one of the marsh-orchid or spotted-orchid groups.

Examples:

• Common Spotted-orchid

• Heath Spotted-orchid

• Northern Marsh-orchid

Leaf spotting alone is not enough for identification, but it is a useful starting point.

2. White flower resembling a flying dove?

The unmistakable:

• Greater Butterfly-orchid

• Lesser Butterfly-orchid

The key difference is the spacing of the pollen masses:

• Parallel and close together = Lesser

• Widely diverging = Greater

3. Slipper-shaped flower?

Only one Scottish species:

• Lady’s-slipper Orchid

A very large yellow pouch-like flower. Extremely rare and protected.

4. Tiny green flowers?

Look at:

• Bog Orchid

• Frog Orchid

These are often overlooked because the flowers are only a few millimetres across.

Marsh-orchids (often the most difficult group)