''Ophrys caucasica'' (, , ) is a flowering plant endemic to the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

. It has been recorded in numerous areas throughout

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. The overall distribution of the species, according to Delforge, ranges from coastal massifs of north-east Anatolia, from

Trabzon Trabzon (; Ancient Greek: Tραπεζοῦς (''Trapezous''), Ophitic Pontic Greek: Τραπεζούντα (''Trapezounta''); Georgian: ტრაპიზონი (''Trapizoni'')), historically known as Trebizond in English, is a city on the B ...

in the west, probably to the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijani state media portraits it as the "official flower" of the

Karabakh Karabakh ( az, Qarabağ ; hy, Ղարաբաղ, Ġarabaġ ) is a geographic region in present-day southwestern Azerbaijan and eastern Armenia, extending from the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus down to the lowlands between the rivers Kura and ...

region.

Etymology

In Armenian, its name (Sardakir Mexvakir) refers to its primary pollinators, spiders (or 'Sard') and bees (or 'Mexu') and their food (or 'kir').

Exhibition

In 2014 an exhibition titled "Khari bulbul, a flower of peace and love" was organized by the Federal National Cultural Autonomy of Azerbaijanis in Russia. In March, 2014 a presentation ceremony of ''Ophrys caucasica'' took place in the United States Botanic Garden Conservatory.

Gallery

File:Stamps of Azerbaijan, 2007-801.jpg, 2007 Stamp of Azerbaijan depicting the flower

References

External links

Hari bulbul – the flower of peace and love
*

caucasica ''Leiostyla'' is a genus of small air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Lauriidae.Falkner G., Obrdlík P., Castella E. & Speight M. C. D. 2001 ''Shelled Gastropoda of Western Europe''. München: Friedri ...

{{Orchidoideae-stub