''Nigritella archiducis-joannis'' () is a 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 flowering ...
endemic to a few locations in
Totes Gebirge
The Totes Gebirge is a group of mountains in Austria, part of the Northern Limestone Alps, lying between the Salzkammergut and the Ennstaler Alpen. The name ''Totes Gebirge'' is derived from the German words ''tot'' meaning "dead", referring to ...
, the
Dachstein
Hoher Dachstein () is a strongly karstic mountain in central Austria and the second-highest mountain in the Northern Limestone Alps. It is situated at the border of Upper Austria and Styria, and is the highest point in each of those states. Pa ...
, the
Karawanken
The Karawanks or Karavankas or Karavanks ( sl, Karavanke; german: Karawanken, ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps on the border between Slovenia to the south and Austria to the north. With a total length of in an east–west dir ...
, the
Koralpe
The Koralpe ( en, Kor Alps, sl, Golica or ), also referred to as ''Koralm'', is a mountain range in southern Austria which separates eastern Carinthia (state), Carinthia from southern Styria. The southern parts of the range extend into Slovenia. ...
– that is the Austrian states
Styria
Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...
,
Upper Austria
Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, a ...
,
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the ...
und
Carinthia
Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...
– as well as
Triglav National Park
Triglav National Park (TNP) ( sl, Triglavski narodni park) is the only national park in Slovenia. It was established in its modern form in 1981 and is located in the northwestern part of the country, respectively the southeastern part of the Alp ...
.
Description
The
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
is spherical. The flowers are light to dark pink. The lip, lateral petals and the middle sepal extend straight forward, not angled. The lip is 8mm long and 2-4mm from the base has a saddle-shaped constriction. The lateral sepals are slightly wider than the petals. The spur is 1.4mm long. Reproduction is asexual.
They bloom in July and August.
Distribution
This species was first described as endemic to the Northern Limestone Alps in
Totes Gebirge
The Totes Gebirge is a group of mountains in Austria, part of the Northern Limestone Alps, lying between the Salzkammergut and the Ennstaler Alpen. The name ''Totes Gebirge'' is derived from the German words ''tot'' meaning "dead", referring to ...
. 1996 it was also discovered at several locations in the Dachstein Mountains (Salzburg), 2006 on the Hochobir (Karawanks, Carinthia) and the Styrian Kor Alps and 2008 in Triglav National Park in Slovenia. It grows on sub-alpine chalk heath at elevations between 1800m and 2000m.
References
[Karl-Peter Buttler: ''Orchideen''. Mosaik Verlag, München 1986, ISBN 3-570-04403-3, S. 66.]
[Wolfram Foelsche: ''Das Erzherzog-Johann-Kohlröschen, Nigritella archiducis-joannis Teppner & E. Klein, und die Kohlröschen-Arten Österreichs.'' In: ''Joannea Botanik.'' 9, 2011, S. 61–95.]
archiducis-joannis
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