''Epipactis helleborine'', the broad-leaved helleborine, is a terrestrial species of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...

with a broad distribution. It is a long lived herb which varies morphologically with ability to self-pollinate.

Description

''Epipactis helleborine'' can grow to a maximum height of or more under good conditions, and has broad dull green leaves which are strongly ribbed and flat.General Morphology and Anatomy of Chlorophyll-free and Green Forms of Epipactis helleborine
/ref> The flowers are arranged in long drooping racemes with dull green sepals and shorter upper petals. The lower labellum is pale red and is much shorter than the upper petals. Achlorophyllous, white ''Epipactis helleborine'' plants have been found. Achlorophyllous forms tend to be shorter, as small as 17 cm. Flowering occurs June–September.

Distribution

This species is widespread across much of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

, from

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

to China, as well as northern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Species, ''Epipactis helleborine''
/ref> In North America, it is an introduced species and widely naturalized mostly in the Northeastern United States, eastern

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the

Great Lakes Region The Great Lakes region of North America is a binational Canadian–American region that includes portions of the eight U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin along with the Canadian p ...

, but also in scattered locations in other parts of the continent. In the US it is sometimes referred to as the "weed orchid" or "weedy orchid" and continues to spread throughout the country to new areas including Michigan, Wisconsin, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Epipactis helleborine range map.jpg, Distribution in North America

Habitat

Found in woods and hedge-banks and often not far from paths near human activity. It is one of the most likely European orchids to be found within a city, with many sites for example in Glasgow, London and Moscow. Sometimes spotted beside car parks. ''Epipactis helleborine'' is known for its successful colonization of human-made or anthropogenic habitats such as parks, gardens or roadsides. These roadside

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

exhibit special features such as large plant size and greater ability to produce flowers.

Pollination Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, a ...

plays a huge role as pollinators such as Syrphidae,

Culicidae Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning "gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "litt ...

Apidae Apidae is the largest family within the superfamily Apoidea, containing at least 5700 species of bees. The family includes some of the most commonly seen bees, including bumblebees and honey bees, but also includes stingless bees (also used for ...

etc. possess greater species diversity and visits the flowering sites more in anthropogenic habitats as compared to native ones. The visitation rates along with the reproductive success of these orchids are higher in large populations as they are more attractive to pollinators.

Ecology

This species of orchid is pollinated by several species of Hymenoptera, particularly the

common wasp ''Vespula vulgaris'', known as the Common wasp, is a species found in regions that include the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, India, China, New Zealand and Australia. It is sometimes known in English as the European wasp, but the same name is ...

, but also other species in the genera ''

Vespula ''Vespula'' is a small genus of social wasps, widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. Along with members of their sister genus ''Dolichovespula'', they are collectively known by the common name yellowjackets (or yellow jackets) in Nor ...

'' and ''

Dolichovespula ''Dolichovespula'' is a small genus of social wasps distributed widely throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The yellow and black members of the genus are known by the common name yellowjackets in North America, such as '' Dolichovespula norwegi ...

''. Flowers release a sweet nectar to attract the wasps, which has an intoxicating effect on them. Eight populations of ''Epipactis helleborine'' in central Europe (Lower Silesia, Poland) had their nectar studied and they were found to contain naturally occurring

oxycodone Oxycodone, sold under various brand names such as Roxicodone and OxyContin (which is the extended release form), is a strong, semi-synthetic opioid used medically for treatment of moderate to severe pain. It is highly addictive and a commonly ...

(as well as another narcotic-like

opioid Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia. Other medical uses include suppression of diarrhea, replacement therapy for opioid use ...

) in minute amounts. ''Epipactis helleborine'' requires a

mycorrhizal A mycorrhiza (from Greek μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. mycorrhizae, mycorrhiza or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the pla ...

symbiosis to germinate successfully and remains partially dependent upon the fungus when plants mature, however it is not particularly selective among fungal species. Fungi associated with the live roots include ''

Tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growin ...

'', ''

Helotiales Helotiales is an order of the class Leotiomycetes within the division Ascomycota. The taxonomy within Helotiales has been debated. It has expanded significantly as genomic techniques for taxonomical identification have become more commonly used. ...

'', ''

Peziza ''Peziza'' is a large genus of saprophytic cup fungi that grow on the ground, rotting wood, or dung. Most members of this genus are of unknown edibility and are difficult to identify as separate species without use of microscopy. The polyphylet ...

'', ''

Leptodontidium ''Leptodontidium'' is a genus of fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms a ...

'', ''

Hydnotrya ''Hydnotrya'' is a genus of ascomycete fungi related to the false morels of the genus ''Gyromitra''. There are about 15 species in the genus. A molecular phylogenetic study recovered a species that was described but neglected for 50 years, ''Hyd ...

'' and '' Wilcoxina''. It has been suggested that the presence of this orchid species in a woodland is an indicator that edible

truffle A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus ''Tuber''. In addition to ''Tuber'', many other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including '' Geopora'', '' Pe ...

s can be found there,Acta Biologica Szegediensis - Could orchids indicate truffle habitats? Mycorrhizal association between orchids and truffles
/ref> but this is not always the case.

Subspecies

A rather long list of names have been proposed for subspecies, varieties and forms of ''Epipactis helleborine'', far too many to list here.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families - List of names for Epipactis helleborine
/ref> This is not unusual for such a widespread species. At present (November 2021) only the following are accorded international acceptance: #''Epipactis helleborine ''subsp''. bithynica'' (Robatsch) Kreutz - Turkey #''Epipactis helleborine ''subsp''. helleborine'' - widespread #''Epipactis helleborine ''subsp''. neerlandica'' (Verm.) Buttler - Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Germany #''Epipactis helleborine ''var''. tangutica'' (Schltr.) S.C.Chen & G.H.Zhu - China #''Epipactis helleborine ''subsp''. tremolsii'' (Pau) E.Klein - France, Spain, Portugal, Sardinia, Italy, Algeria, Morocco

Naturally-occurring Oxycodone

According to a study published in 2005 by Jakubska ''et al.'' trace amounts of narcotic compounds have been identified in the plants nectar, namely 3-{2-{3-{3-(benzyloxy)propyl}-3-indol, 7,8-didehydro- 4,5-epoxy-3,6-d-morphinan and oxycodone. This is still debated however, as there is no evidence that such molecules could be readily biosynthesized.

References

External links

Den virtuella floran - Distribution

Opioids in nectar
{{Taxonbar, from=Q157426 helleborine Orchids of Asia Orchids of Europe Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus