Epipactis
Template:Short description Template:Automatic taxobox
Epipactis, or helleborine, is a genus of terrestrial orchids consisting of approximately 70 species.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> This genus is abbreviated as Epcts in horticultural trade.
Description
Their creeping, fleshy rhizomes grow offshoots, from which then emerge the 20–70 cm long stems during the next spring.
There are four to eight alternate, lanceolate leaves, that grow progressively shorter near the top. The margins are entire, the top is acute. Species with less chlorophyll have blue-purple leaves.
Their bilaterally symmetrical colorful flowers grow from a terminal raceme. The three sepals and the two lateral petals are ovate and acuminate. Their color can vary from greenish-white to violet and purple.
The lip is divided in a bowl-shaped hypochile, with the outer surface greenish-white and threaded with dark veins. The wavy, snow-white epichile is fan-shaped.
The ovary is inferior. It produces a dry capsule with countless minute seeds.
Chemistry
As is characteristic of all orchids, Epipactis spp. are dependent on a mycorrhizal symbiosis (see also Orchid mycorrhiza). This allows some species to have reduced leaves and need little chlorophyll. Violet helleborine (Epipactis viridiflora) can even do without chlorophyll. These forms can be recognized by their purple instead of violet flowers.
Habitat
The species occur in temperate and subtropical climates of America, Asia, and Europe. These orchids grow in open spaces in forests, in undergrowth, on calcareous soils and are often found in wet dune-slacks near the sea. The only original American species is the giant helleborine (Epipactis gigantea). One species from Europe, broad-leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine), is invasive in North America. Most species are protected.
Most of these hardy orchids grow in a wet environment, but there are exceptions. The marsh helleborine (Epipactis palustris) is the only European orchid able to survive in a flooded habitat. Epipactis gigantea is a species found in the American west, and into southern Canada, in wet areas and even streams. It can grow to a height of 1 m. However, Epipactis helleborine grows in more diverse habitats, from sheltered sandy beaches to open spaces in deciduous or coniferous forests, on roadsides, in meadows, and on moist soils. It is sometimes called the weed orchid.
Species
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According to Plants of the World Online there are 54 accepted species in the genus.<ref name="POWO">Template:Cite POWO</ref>
- Epipactis africana Template:Small (Ethiopia to Malawi)
- Epipactis alata Template:Small
- Epipactis albensis Template:Small (C. Europe)
- Epipactis ariosica Template:Small
- Epipactis atrorubens Template:Small : dark red helleborine, royal helleborine (Europe to Caucasus)
- Epipactis bucegensis Template:Small
- Epipactis bugacensis Template:Small (Hungary, near Bugacpusztaháza)
- Epipactis caramolica Template:Small
- Epipactis condensata Template:Small (Turkey to Lebanon, Cyprus, W. Transcaucasus)
- Epipactis cordigera Template:Small
- Epipactis cupaniana Template:Small
- Epipactis dunensis Template:Small (Great Britain: N. England to N. Wales)
- Epipactis euxina Template:Small
- Epipactis fascicularis Template:Small
- Epipactis flaminia Template:Small (EC. Europe)
- Epipactis flava Template:Small (Laos, Thailand)
- Epipactis garganica Template:Small
- Epipactis gigantea Template:Small : stream orchid, chatterbox, giant helleborine (W. Canada to N. Mexico)
- Epipactis greuteri Template:Small
- Epipactis guegelii Template:Small (Romania)
- Epipactis helleborine Template:Small : broad-leaved helleborine (N. Africa, Europe to C. China, Type species)
- Epipactis humilior Template:Small
- Epipactis hyblaea Template:Small
- Epipactis hygrophila Template:Small
- Epipactis ioessa Template:Small (Italy)
- Epipactis kartliana Template:Small
- Epipactis kleinii Template:Small (S. France to E. Spain)
- Epipactis krymmontana Template:Small
- Epipactis leptochila Template:Small : narrow-lipped helleborine (Europe)
- Epipactis mairei Template:Small
- Epipactis majellensis Template:Small
- Epipactis microphylla Template:Small (Europe to Iran)
- Epipactis minipurpurata Template:Small
- Epipactis muelleri Template:Small (W. & C. Europe)
- Epipactis nasuta Template:Small
- Epipactis odemensis Template:Small
- Epipactis ohwii Template:Small (C. Taiwan)
- Epipactis palustris Template:Small : marsh helleborine, marsh orchid (Europe to Caucasus and Mongolia)
- Epipactis papillosa Template:Small (Russian Far East to Korea, Japan)
- Epipactis persica Template:Small (SE. Europe to W. Pakistan)
- Epipactis phyllanthes Template:Small : green-flowered helleborine (W. & NW. Europe)
- Epipactis pontica Template:Small (EC. Europe to N. Turkey)
- Epipactis purpurata Template:Small
- Epipactis rivularis Template:Small
- Epipactis royleana Template:Small (E. Afghanistan to Himalaya)
- Epipactis stellifera Template:Small (Switzerland)
- Epipactis thunbergii Template:Small (S. Russian Far East to Korea, Japan to Nansei-shoto)
- Epipactis torqueta Template:Small
- Epipactis turcomanica Template:Small (C. Asia)
- Epipactis ulugurica Template:Small (Tanzania)
- Epipactis veluwensis Template:Small
- Epipactis veratrifolia Template:Small (Caucasus to Somalia and SC. China)
- Epipactis wartensteinii Template:Small
- Epipactis xanthophaea Template:Small (China)
Hybrids
There are also 22 known natural hybrids.<ref name="POWO" />