Neottia nidus-avis grows to 40 cm (16 in) tall and each shoot can carry up to 60 flowers. Plants are not in any part green, deriving all their nutrition from a
mycorrhizal fungus in the soil/litter, which in turn derives nutrition from the roots of trees.[12][13] Plants are generally beige-brown, though sometimes yellowish or white forms are discovered. The flower labellum splits and strongly diverges at its lower end. This species of orchid can be hard to spot, being
camouflaged against the leaf litter.
Across Europe, this species flowers May–June.[12][13]
In the British Isles, Neottia nidus-avis is found in shady woodland, especially
beech, on basic soils.[14] Its conservation status in the UK is near-threatened.[15]
Ecology
Neottia nidus-avis has been found to flourish only in partnership with
mycorrhizal fungi in the genus Sebacina, particularly Sebacina dimitica in the UK.[16]
Pollination is carried out by
Diptera and possibly also
ants. Self-pollination may occur if insects do not pollinate the plants.[17]
Taxonomy
The
Latin binomial Neottia nidus-avis, as well as the common names of this orchid in several languages, derive from a comparison of the tangled roots of the plant to a bird's nest.[12]
Twayblade orchids were recently reassigned to the genus Neottia after scientists found that they were closely related to N. nidus-avis.
^Curtis, T. & Thompson, R. (2009). The orchids of Ireland: 1-160. National Museums of Northern Ireland, Cultra, Holywood.
^Vázquez Pardo, F.M. (2009). Revisión de la familia Orchidaceae en Extremadura (España). Folia Botanica Extremadurensis 3: 1-367.
^Dobignard, D. & Chatelain, C. (2010). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 1: 1-455. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
^El Mokni, R., Mahmoudi, M.R. & El Aouni, M.H. (2010). Neottia nidus-avis (L.) L.C.M.Rich.: une nouvelle orchidée pour la flore de la Tunisie. L' Orchidophile. Revue de la Société Française d' Orchidophilie 186: 181-187.