Limodore

What Ho? Another orchid post? Well, this is exceptional. Today, I had the good furtune to find an orchid which I have been seeking for over 10 years here in the Dordogne. We have been having wonderful perfect weather lately. Too dry actutally, but a stretch of sunny days not too hot and actually chilly at night. I have been working in the garden and spending too much time watering each evening. We will be seeing our first raspberries next week.
So, I have been getting a lot of biking in. Today, I biked to Hautefort and then rode around the artificial Etang de Coucou in the forest beneath the Chateau. The etang is pretty big and it is part of an ancient irrigation system with a dam and sluice gates.
It still functions and provides agricultural irrgation for the entire valley.
The forest is part of the ancient domaine of Hautefort, which dates to the 12th century.
I happened to have a camera with me in my bike pack and in the far end of the lake, where it is marshy, I noticed a few purplely spikes in the shade.
I soon realized that I had found a few of the Limodore orchids, Limidorum abortivum.
The full name in French is Limodore a Feuilles Avortee. That translates to Limodore with aborted leaves. It is a truly saprophytic plant.
It has no leaves and does not produce chlorophyll. All orchids exist in a symbiotic relationship with a fungus. They cannot germinate with out the help of the fungus and the fungus acts as an interface to break down nutrients in the poor soil and extreme conditions that orchids have evolved to exist in.
Some orchids have evolved even further in this relationship. There are a number of saprophytic plants. They are not true parasites, but in effect, the fungal relationship does draw nutrients from other plants.
Limodores stand about 2 and 1/2 feet tall and are totally purple. The flowers are about 2 to 3 inches across. I have found other saprophytes, but only have seen pictures of Limodores. They are not very common and I feel quite lucky t have stumbled across them in bloom today!