About Ophrys apifera Huds.
Ophrys apifera Huds., commonly known as the bee orchid, grows 15–50 centimetres (6–20 in) tall. This hardy orchid develops small leaf rosettes in autumn, which continue to grow slowly through winter. Basal leaves are ovate or oblong-lanceolate, while upper leaves and bracts are ovate-lanceolate and sheathing; all leaves show parallel venation. Flowering occurs from mid-April in continental Europe, and from June to July in the United Kingdom. It produces a flower spike holding 1 to 12 flowers. Three large purple sepals surround the base of the flower, and are easily mistaken for petals. The true petals sit just above the sepals: two short, hairy green structures that protrude sideways from the central column. A third modified petal, the labellum, sits at the bottom of the column as a landing pad for pollinators. The labellum is trilobed, with two distinct humps on its hairy lateral lobes, and a hairy median lobe with a pattern that mimics a bee’s abdomen. Labellum colour patterns are quite variable. The central column is an orchid-specific adaptation where stamens and pistil fuse to form a single central rib. The anther cap sits at the top, dorsal side of the column, while the stigma is hidden below on the column’s ventral side. Two pollinia hang from the column over the labellum.
Ophrys apifera is widespread across central and southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Its range extends from Portugal, Ireland, and Denmark east to Iran and the Caucasus. It is quite common in the Mediterranean region east to the Black Sea, but is less common across its northern range, being uncommon or local to Germany and Ireland. In the United Kingdom, it has a clear preference for the southeast, and is most common in England. In recent years, it has been found in southwest England at Butleigh near Glastonbury, Somerset, and Dorchester, Dorset. It only occurs in coastal regions of Wales, at Hodbarrow Nature Reserve in Millom, Cumbria, and in parts of Northern Ireland. It is relatively common in northeast England, and large populations have recently appeared on grass verges surrounding the Metro Centre in Gateshead. In Scotland, it was previously considered extinct, but was rediscovered in Ayrshire in 2003. This species has protected status in some countries. It is unusual in that some years it grows in very large numbers, and may then not reappear for many years. According to Pierre Delforge’s Orchids of Britain and Europe, the genus Ophrys is the most species-rich, diverse orchid genus in Europe and the Mediterranean, with over 200 described species.
Ophrys apifera typically grows on semi-dry turf, in grassland, on limestone, on calcareous dunes, or in open woodland areas. It prefers well-drained, low-nutrient calcareous soils, and can grow in either bright or dim light. It is a major colonizer of sites disturbed by human activity, including old quarries, roadside verges, and airfields. It is one of the European orchid species most likely to become established within towns and cities. To get enough nutrients from the substrate it grows in, Ophrys apifera depends on a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi in the genus Tulasnella, and possibly other fungal genera. Bee orchids are threatened by mowing that occurs during flowering, or before their seeds are released. They also often disappear from sites that become overgrown with shrubs and/or trees, because the orchids cannot compete with these larger plants for light. For these reasons, bee orchids are often found on the edges of mown areas, beside paths, or in areas that are mown very infrequently. The Sussex Wildlife Trust recommends mowing at the end of July and removing cuttings to support bee orchid populations. In prehistory, this species likely relied on seasonal grazing pressure, or was restricted to early-succession habitats and permanent grassland.
Ophrys apifera is generally thought to prefer self-pollination. In the northern parts of its distribution range, its flowers are almost exclusively self-pollinating. In the Mediterranean region, where this species is more common, it is pollinated by the solitary bee Eucera longicornis. Male E. longicornis have been observed attempting to copulate with the orchid’s flowers, which emit chemical allomones that mimic the scent of a female bee. These allomones also attract the bee species Tetralonia cressa and Eucera pulveraceae. In addition to this chemical mimicry, the orchid’s labellum acts as a visual decoy that male bees mistake for a female bee. It is thought that male bees preferentially choose orchids with the most bee-like labellum and attempt copulation; during this pseudocopulation, pollinia stick to the bee’s body, allowing pollen transfer and potential pollination. Like all orchids, Ophrys species depend on symbiotic fungi during at least part of their life cycle, especially for seed germination. Germination may take months or even years underground. Orchid roots host orchid mycorrhiza, which are coils of fungal hyphae that grow inside orchid root cells.
