Epipactis x reinekei Bayer 1986, syn.: Epipactis helleborine x Epipactis muelleri, Epipactis reinekeiFamily: OrchidaceaeEN: Reineke's Epipactis, DE: no name foundSlo.: Reinekejeva movirnicaDat.: July 22. 2012Lat.: 46.37311 Long.: 13.58789 (WGS84)Code: Bot_642/2012_IMG0543Habitat: edge of an abandoned pasture in the midst of mixed forest; moderately incline mountain slope, southwest aspect; calcareous ground; elevation 625 m (2.050 feet); average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7-9 deg C, alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: soil.Place: Loka Koritnica valley; about 1 km north of Klue historical fortress; left bank of the river Koritnica; about 120 m above the main road Bovec - Predel, East Julian Alps, Posoje, Slovenia EC.Comment: In its habitus and details the plant shown in this observation corresponds well to the descriptions of Epipactis muelleri, a rare orchid in Slovenia and elswhere. Its characteristic traits from literature, which fit to this observation are:- plant's height, number of leaves and flowers, length of inflorescence- leaves growing +/- perpendicular to the stem and arching downwards sickle like - leaves have conspicuous veins and wavy edges - leaves are +/- uniformly distributed along the stem and in form and size gradually change to bracts- stem is often to some extent zigzag shaped - upper part of the light green and relatively thin stem is densely hairy - sepals are yellow-greenish- petals are paler- hypochile is reddish-brown inside and has white rim- pointed epichile is greenish white to yellowish white, sometimes with pinkish tint- epichile has about the same width as length and has relatively inconspicuous bosses at the base- transition between hypochile and epichile is distinctly wide- the inflorescence is +/- one sided- typical habitat is calcareous ground, forest edges and among bushes, roadsidesYet, there are three traits of the flowers on my pictures, which don't fit to the descriptions of Epipactis muelleri.- presence of rostellum (should be absent)- pinkish edged and veined petals and (should be greenish- or yellowish-whitish)- considerably pink epichile (should be whitish or yellowish-white)This discrepancies point toward hybridization with Epipactis helleborine, which is a quite common species in the region. From my pictures it is evident that the flowers have well developed rostellum (a small beak like extension from the upper edge of the stigma; small white 'blob' in the center of the flower; see Fig. 2 and 2b). The function of rostellum in allogamous orchids (proliferating by crosspollination with the help of insects) is to glue pollinia with pollen to the insects during their visit of the flower. Pollen is then transported to other plants and cross-pollinates them. Epipactis muelleri obligatory proliferates by autogamy, that is by self-pollination. Its flowers don't have rostellum. On the other hand, Epipactis helleborine is allogamous. The rostellum is well developed and function.Pinkish edges and veins of the petals is another trait inherited from Epipactis helleborine, which, although very variable in itself, often has pinkish or reddish petals. The same can be said for pinkish epichile. The hybrid between Epipactis helleborine and Epipactis muelleri is named Epipactis x reinekei Bayer. Habitus of this hybrid is otherwise visually as well as morphometrically almost indistinguishable from Epipactis muelleri (Ref.7). Protected according to: Uredba o zavarovanih prostoiveih rastlinskih vrstah, poglavje A, Uradni list RS, t. 46/2004 (Regulation of protected wild plants, chapter A, Official Gazette of Republic Slovenia, no. 46/2004), (2004).Ref.:(1) Personal communication with Mr. Branko Dolinar,
www.orhideje.si(2) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora fr sterreich, Liechtenstein und Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 1035.(3) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007), p 767. (4) H. Kretzschmar, Die Orchideen Deutschlands und angrenzenden Lander, Quelle Meyer (2008), p 134 and p 258.(5) B. Dolinar, Kukavievke v Sloveniji (Orchidaceae of Slovenia) (in Slovenian), Pipinova Knjiga (2015), p 73.(6) H. Baumann, S. Kuenkele, R.Lorenz, Orchideen Europas, Ulmer (2006), p 88.(7) S. Knkele, Orchidaceae, in O. Sebald, S. Seybold, G. Philippi, A. Wrz, Eds., Die Farn und Blutenpflanzen Baden-Wurttembergs, Band 8., Verlag Eugen Ulmer (1998), p 443.
