Anacamptis pyramidalis, Pyramidal Orchid

Common Name: Pyramidal Orchid

Anacamptis pyramidalis, the pyramidal orchid, is a small orchid that lives up to its name - its pink flower spike forms a pyramidal shape. It grows on chalk grassland, coastal habitats, scrub, roadside verges, old quarries and railway embankments. It flowers in June and July with its densely packed flower spike holding up to 100 flowers.

It attracts a range of butterflies and moths and is easy to identify - the pyramidal orchid displays bright pink flowers in a dense, pyramid-shaped cluster at the top of its stem. It has long, narrow and pointed leaves. Widespread in England Wales, but scarcer in Scotland.

Orchid seeds do not store enough food to grow on their own, so they team up with a mat-forming fungus in the soil. In turn, the orchid’s roots protect the fungus.

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