Epipactis helleborine var. youngiana
| Epipactis helleborine var. youngiana | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| (unranked): | |
| (unranked): | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | E. youngiana
|
| Binomial name | |
| Epipactis youngiana A. J. Richards & A. F. Porter [1]
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Epipactis youngiana, Young's helleborine, is a species (or variety) of orchid that is endemic to Great Britain. It is very closely related to Epipactis helleborine, and may be better treated as a variety of the latter species.
Taxonomy
Epipactis youngiana was discovered in 1975 by Tony Porter,[2] and described as a new species by Porter and A. J. Richards in 1982.[1] The specific epithet commemorates Donald Peter Young, who worked extensively on Epipactis.[1] Epipactis youngiana is part of the Epipactis helleborine species complex, and cannot be distinguished from the wide-ranging and variable species E. helleborine using genetic markers. It has therefore been treated as a variety of the widespread species, as E. helleborine var. youngiana.[2]
Epipactis youngiana is thought to be a hybrid between two other orchid taxa, probably E. dunensis and E. helleborine. Because E. dunensis is itself only recently derived from E. helleborine, this hypothesis is difficult to test.[2]
Description
Epipactis youngiana is a perennial herb that typically grows 15–40 centimetres (6–16 in) high.[2] It differs from E. helleborine in having its basal leaf more than 1.2× as long as broad (less than 1.1× as long as broad in E. helleborine), in the basal leaf being "flat, flaccid, unribbed, silky to [the] touch, margins undulate" ("cucullate, stiff, ribbed, coarse to [the] touch, margins not undulate" in E. helleborine), in its flowers – when coloured – being clear pink rather than dirty pink, in the rostellum being nearly as long as the anthers (less than half as long as the anthers in E. helleborine) and in having a shiny ovary with a few stiff hairs, rather than matt with soft hairs or hairless, as in E. helleborine.[2]
Distribution
Epipactis youngiana was first discovered in southern Northumberland, close to Newcastle-upon-Tyne and along the valley of the River South Tyne; all the sites were associated with metal mining.[2] Populations of similar orchids on bings (coal-mining spoil heaps) in the Central Belt of Scotland have also been assigned to E. youngiana.[2] Similar plants also occur on the sand dunes at Kenfig Burrows in South Wales, which have been polluted by the nearby Margam steelworks, but they cannot be conclusively assigned to E. youngiana.[2]
Conservation
Epipactis youngiana is considered an endangered species in the United Kingdom, and is protected under Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.[2]
