Serapias lingua

Quick Characteristics:

Serapias lingua L., though originating from the western Mediterranean, is happy outdoors in the UK and soon forms a small colony. It is a typical Mediterranean orchid, producing leaves in autumn and remaining green until it flowers in late spring, then going dormant until it rains again. This species has a single, central, dark callus at the base of its slender and mostly hairless lip.

One recommendation to the PBS list was to pot them in fast-draining sand-soil mixtures with chunks of calcareous tufa or ground limestone in the mix and around the tuberoids. Keep them in a bright position protected from frost and water lightly in winter. Photo by Andrew Harvie.