Ophrys apifera aka Bee Orchid

Ophrys apifera, commonly known as the bee orchid, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the family Orchidaceae. It is a terrestrial orchid that grows to a height of 15-50 centimeters and develops small rosettes of ovate or oblong-lanceolate leaves. In mid-spring or early summer, it produces flower spikes up to 30cm tall, bearing up to 11 blooms. Each bloom is approximately 2.5cm across, with pale green or pink petals and a brown, velvety lip with yellow markings, resembling a bee. The bee orchid is a fascinating example of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry. Its velvety lip mimics the appearance of a female bee, attracting male bees that attempt to mate with it. In this process, the flower gets pollinated. However, in the United Kingdom, the right bee species for pollination does not exist, so this orchid is self-pollinated. The flower spike of Ophrys apifera is composed of one to twelve flowers. It has three large, purple sepals that can be mistaken for petals. The true petals are two short, pubescent green structures above the sepals. The labellum, a modified petal, acts as a landing pad for pollinators and sits at the bottom of the central column. The labellum is trilobed, with hairy lateral lobes that have pronounced humps and a hairy median lobe. Its coloration pattern varies. While Ophrys apifera serves as an example of a highly selective and evolved plant-pollinator relationship, it also has some useful properties. However, it is important to note that this plant might be poisonous. If one wishes to get rid of it, specific instructions on how to do so are not provided in the given descriptions.