Orchis militaris
species of plant
Orchis militaris, the military orchid, is a species of orchid native to Europe. It is the type species of the genus Orchis.
Description
This plant grows to a height of 20 to 50 cm with a robust stem with rather drawn up oblong basal leaves. The inflorescence forms a purplish dense cone consisting of from 10 to 40 flowers. In each flower the sepals and side petals are gathered together to form a pointed "helmet" (whence it gets its name), a lilac colour outside and a veined purple colour inside. The central tongue finishes in two lobes separated by a tooth.
Depending on the location, it flowers from April to June.
Taxonomy
Orchis militaris was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. Orchis militaris Poir.. is a synonym of Orchis italica.
The public source identifies “Orchis militaris” as species of plant. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Orchis, militaris and species.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Orchis militaris”, the useful work is to connect “species of plant” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q162755. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1753.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Orchis militaris” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.