Sword-leaved Helleborine

Sword-leaved Helleborine
Sword-leaved Helleborine (Cephalanthera longifolia)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Subfamily:	Epidendroideae
Tribe:	Neottieae
Subtribe:	Limodorinae
Genus:	Cephalanthera
Species:	C. longifolia
Binomial name
Cephalanthera longifolia (L.) Fritsch 1888
Synonyms
Serapias helleborine var. longifolia L. Cephalanthera ensifolia (Sw.) Rich. Cephalanthera xiphophyllum Reichenb. Epipactis ensifolia F.W. Schmidt Epipactis longifolia (L.) All. Serapias helleborine subsp. longifolia L. Serapias longifolia (L.) L. Serapias xiphophyllum Ehrh. ex L.f. Helleborine longifolia (L.) Moench Epipactis grandiflora (L.) Sm. Cymbidium xiphophyllum (Ehrh. ex L.f.) Sw. Epipactis xiphophylla (Ehrh. ex L.f.) Sw. Serapias pallida Wahlenb. Cephalanthera pallens Rich. Serapias ensifolia (L.f.) Murray Epipactis grandifolia All. Cephalanthera acuminata Wall. ex Lindl Cephalanthera maravignae Tineo in G.Gussone Cephalanthera thomsonii Rchb.f. Cephalanthera angustifolia Simonk. Limodorum acuminatum (Wall. ex Lindl.) Kuntze Cephalanthera mairei Schltr. Cephalanthera conferta (B.Baumann & H.Baumann) Kreutz Cephalanthera longifolia subsp. conferta B.Baumann & H.Baumann

Cephalanthera longifolia, known by the common names Narrow-leaved Helleborine or Sword-leaved Helleborine, is an herbaceous perennial plant with rhizome belonging to the family Orchidaceae. It is native to light woodland, widespread across Europe, Asia and North Africa from Ireland and Morocco to China. This includes Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Algeria, India, Pakistan, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and many other countries.

The genus name Cephalanthera comes from the Greek κεφαλή cephalos (head) and ανθηρός antheros (anther), therefore means with round anthers. The Latin name longifolia means with long leaves .

Cephalanthera longifolia reaches on average 20–60 centimetres (7.9–23.6 in) of height in typical conditions. This orchid has erect and glabrous multiple stems. The leaves are dark green, long and narrowly tapering (hence the common name of Sword-leaved Helleborine). The inflorescence is a lax, five to twenty-flowered spike with the bell-shaped flowers ascending in an oblique spiral. The flowers are white, about 1 cm (0.4 in) long, with a yellow-edged labellum and they usually open only during the warmest and brightest hours of the day. This plant can be found in bloom from April to June, depending on location and altitude. The fruit is a dry capsule and the dust-like seed is dispersed by the wind.

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Wikipedia