Burnt Orchids, Brenne; a fairly common species of unimproved grassland
Orchid gallery
Main sources of reference;
Les Orchidees Sauvages de la Region Centre, Societe d'Orchidophilie Centre Loire (published by them), 2002. Indispensible
The order of orchid species follows this guide
Field Guide to the Orchids of Britain and Europe, Karl Peter Buttler, The Crowood Press Ltd, 1991
Orchids of Europe
Good orchid identification site
SFO - Société Française d'Orchidophilie de Poitou-Charentes et Vendée
French regional orchid society
Indre Nature
Orchid list departement Indre (inc. Brenne)
List of orchid species observed in the VIENNE/BRENNE WITHIN AN HOURS DRIVE OF MOULISMES, since our arrival in January 2006. The abundance guide may help if you live in or are staying in the general area. It is based only on my observations since January 2006, and may or may not reflect the true status within the area
1 = Very common
2 = Fairly common
3 = Scarce
4 = Rare or localised
AUTUMN LADY’S-TRESSES (Spiranthes spiralis) - Spiranthe d'automne - 4
LESSER BUTTERFLY ORCHID (Platanthera bifolia) - Orchis a deux feuilles - 4
GREATER BUTTERFLY ORCHID (Platanthera chlorantha) - Orchis verdatre - 1
FRAGRANT ORCHID (Gymnadenia canopsea) - Orchis moucheron - 4
EARLY MARSH ORCHID (Dactylorhiza incarnata) - Orchis incarnat - 4
BRENNE ORCHID (Dactylorhiza brennensis) - Orchis de la Brenne - 4
Brenne Orchid; a rare endemic, split from Robust Marsh Orchid in 1988
SOUTHERN MARSH ORCHID (D. praetermissa ssp. praetermissa) - Orchis neglige - 4
HEATH-SPOTTED ORCHID (D. maculata ssp. maculata) - Orchis macule - with intermediate central lobe - 4
HEATH SPOTTED ORCHID (D. maculata ssp. ericetorum) - Orchis des bruyeres - with small central lobe, only on damp heath/acidic soil - 3
COMMON SPOTTED ORCHID (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) - Orchis de Fuchs - 2
LOOSE-FLOWERED ORCHID (Orchis laxiflora) - Orchis a fleurs laches - 2
GREEN-WINGED ORCHID (Orchis morio) - Orchis bouffon - 2
EARLY PURPLE ORCHID (Orchis mascula) - Orchis male - 1
BURNT ORCHID (Orchis ustulata) - Orchis brule - 2
MILITARY ORCHID (Orchis militaris) - Orchis militaire - 4
MONKEY ORCHID (Orchis simia) - Orchis singe - 2
LADY ORCHID (Orchis purpurea) - Orchis pourpre - 3
Lady Orchids, Brenne; essentially a woodland species, here it is localised but not rare
MAN ORCHID (Aceras anthropophorum) - Orchis homme pendu - 3
PYRAMIDAL ORCHID (Anacamptis pyramidalis) - Orchis pyramidal - 2
LIZARD ORCHID (Himantoglossum hircinum) - Orchis bouc - 2
TONGUE ORCHID (Serapias lingua) - Serapias en langue - 3
FLY ORCHID (Ophrys insectifera) - Ophrys mouche - 2
EARLY SPIDER ORCHID (Ophrys sphegodes) - Ophrys araignee - 2
SMALL SPIDER ORCHID (Ophrys araneola) - Ophrys litigieux - 4
BEE ORCHID (Ophrys apifera) - Ophrys abeille - 2
NARROW-LEAVED HELLEBORINE (Cephalanthera longifolia) - Cephalanthere a longues feuilles - 2
RED HELLEBORINE (Cephalanthera rubra) - Cephalanthere rouge - 3
SMALL-LEAVED HELLEBORINE (Epipactis microphylla) - Epipactis a petites feuilles - - 4
BROAD-LEAVED HELLEBORINE (Epipactis helleborine) - Epipactis a larges feuilles - 2
MUELLER’S HELLEBORINE (Epipactis muelleri) - Epipactis de Muller - 4
MARSH HELLEBORINE (Epipactis palustris) - Epipactis des marais - 4
Like the Marsh Fritillary butterfly, the Marsh Helleborine is a rare and difficult to find Brenne species
VIOLET LIMODORE (Limodorum abortivum) - Limodore a feuilles avortees - 2
BIRD’S NEST ORCHID (Neottia nidus-avis) - Neottie nid d'oiseau - 4
COMMON TWAYBLADE (Listera ovata) - Listere ovale - 3
Total 33 species 26/4/11 (+1 sub-species)