Orchis italica Poir.

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Orchis italica, the naked man orchid or the Italian orchid, is a species of orchid native to the Mediterranean Basin. It gets its common name from the lobed lip (labellum) of each flower which mimics the general shape of a naked man. In Italy, it is believed that the consumption of the plant is conducive to virility. It prefers partial shade and low nutrient soil, and flowers in April. Orchis italica grows up to 50 centimetres (20 in) in height, with bright pink, densely clustered flowers.

Distribution

Orchis italica is commonly found in large clusters in the Mediterranean region. It is native to southwestern Europe (Balearic Islands, Portugal, Sardinia, and Spain), southeastern Europe (Albania, Greece, Italy, Crete, Sicily, and countries of the former Yugoslavia), western Asia (Cyprus, the East Aegean Islands, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Palestinian Territories and Turkey), and northern Africa (Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia).

Mediterranean Basin Hotspot 2005 Print - Mediterranean Basin - Wikipedia

General Description

Orchis italica is a medium-sized plant, growing to between 20-40 cm high, however, now and then, it can also reach a height of 50 cm. The stalk is straight and thick, at its base are between 5 and 8 elongated oval leaves in a rosette, each with a length of between 5 and 11 cm and a width of between 1.5 and 2.5 cm. The leaves, very clearly and typically, have an undulated margin, they are, thereby, absolutely unmistakeable, and in this manner even sterile specimens cari be identified easily; this sign is unique in the whole genus. The leaves are mainly mottled but sometimes unmottled or faintly mottled specimens appear. The first or second uppermost leaves, vaginate the stalk and also envelop the inflorescence during the bud stage.

The fully developed flower spike is 3.5 to 6.5 cm long and has many densely arranged flowers. The bracts are small and membranous, about 3 to 4 times shorter than the ovary. The sepals and petals form a helmet that is pale to light red with crimson veins. The lateral sepals are both lanceolate and long acuminate, and they are about 9-12 mm long; the matched petals are smaller. The lip is deeply divided into three parts, the wide central lobe runs out into two long and narrow lobules that are pointed at the tip. They are almost always irregularly bent; this leads to a very typical appearance of the whole inflorescence. Between both of these lobules is a third, filament-like appendage that bends strongly upwards and forward, it reaches at most, one third of the length of the side lobules (here the epithet longipenis is referred to in the synonym Orchis longicruris ssp. longipenis). Both side lobes are 1.3 to 1.6 cm long, with spiky tips, they also bend weakly upwards. The lip has a light violet to pink-violet colour and is drawn with numerous contrasting dark red streaks that exceptionally may be absent. The thin spur bends downwards and is approximately half as long as the ovary; it is 4 to 6 mm long on average and contains no nectar.

Orchis italica Poir. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science

https://youtu.be/-6EWyGl6DEY?t=448

Naked Man Orchid: Amazing Orchis Italica Flower - 1001 Gardens