Serapias olbia, Verguin, 1908

D. M. Moore (ed.), 1980, CCIII Orchidaceae, Flora Europaea, Vol 5: Alismataceae to Orchidaceae, Camebridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 325-350 : 344

S. olbia Verguin ,

Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. 54: 599 (1908) ( S. gregaria Godfery ),

which occurs on maritime sands and lake-margins

in S. E. France (Var),

is probably a hybrid between 4 and 5. It has 3-4 tubers, 1 sessile, the others on stolons, a short, 2- to 6- flowered, pale violet to purple, dark-veined spike, with bracts equalling or slightly exceeding the flowers. The outer perianth- segments are as in 5 but are pale violet to purple, while the labellum is as in 5 except that it is about twice as long as the other segments and has a hairy, dull red to purple epichile.