Ophrys apifera
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID643fe55a1064e776218851 |
| Scientific name | Ophrys apifera |
| Authority | Huds. |
| First published in | Fl. Angl. : 340 (1762) |
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
No significant commercial products are derived from Ophrys apifera. The species is not used for timber, fiber, food, or industrial materials.
Industrial and craft applications:
There are no documented industrial or craft applications.
Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
There are no documented food or beverage uses.
Colorants and tanning:
There are no documented uses as a colorant or tanning material.
Wood and fiber:
There are no documented wood or fiber products; O. apifera is a small terrestrial herb producing no harvestable biomass.
Fragrance and cosmetics:
Floral extracts or essential oils are not reported in commercial or scientific literature for this species. Although recent metabolomic studies have identified cuticular alkanes and alkenes in labellum secretions—compounds relevant to pollination deception—these are not used in fragrance or cosmetics.
Properties relevant to use:
O. apifera produces pollinator-attracting labellar secretions rich in simple alkanes and alkenes (e.g., alkanes C19–C27; unsaturated C23–C27), contributing to long-term male pollinator memory. These lipophilic blends facilitate pollination through chemical mimicry but have no documented commercial application.
Scientific/model use:
The species is used in pollination biology, chemical ecology, and evolutionary research as a model of sexual deception. It is employed to investigate multi-modal signaling and pollinator specificity, including gas chromatography–mass spectrometry of labellar compounds and bioassays with male Andrena bees. It is not a standard model organism in genetics or molecular biology; specialized horticultural protocols and regional red-list classifications are used where relevant.
Sustainability and sourcing:
Ophrys apifera is wild-collected in some regions for specialized horticultural and scientific purposes, but the commercial demand is limited. Its population status is assessed at the national level; sustainable practice requires confirming legal status and avoiding collection from protected sites.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Arachnites apifera | Hoffm. | Deutschl. Fl. Bot. Taschenb. 4: 180 (1804) |
| Ophrys albiflora | Spruner ex Boiss. | Fl. Orient. 5: 79 (1882) |
| Ophrys apifera var. almaracensis | Pérez-Chisc., Durán Oliva & Gil Llano | Stud. Bot. 9: 114 (1990 publ. 1991) |
| Ophrys apifera var. aurita | (Moggr.) Gremli | Neue Beitr. Fl. Schweiz 4: 31 1887 |
| Ophrys apifera subsp. austriaca | (Wiesb. ex Dichtl) K.Richt. | Pl. Eur. 1: 264. 1890 (1890) |
| Ophrys apifera var. belgarum | Turner Ettl. | Watsonia 22: 107 (1998) |
| Ophrys apifera var. bicolor | E.Nelson | Monogr. Ikon. Ophrys 178 1962 |
| Ophrys apifera f. bicolor | (O.Nägeli) P.D.Sell | Fl. Great Britain Ireland 5: 365 (1996) |
| Ophrys apifera subsp. botteronii | (Chodat) Hegi | Ill. Fl. Mitt.-Eur. 2: 334 1909 |
| Ophrys apifera var. botteronii | (Chodat) Brand | Syn. Deut. Schweiz. Fl. ed. 3, 3: 2438 1905 |
| Ophrys apifera f. botteronii | (Chodat) P.D.Sell | Fl. Great Britain Ireland 5: 365 (1996) |
| Ophrys apifera var. chlorantha | (Hegetschw.) Nyman | Consp. Fl. Eur. 698. 1882 |
| Ophrys apifera subsp. chlorantha | (Hegetschw.) Arcang. | Comp. Fl. Ital. 661. 1882 (1882) |
| Ophrys apifera var. flavescens | Rosbach | Fl. Trier 1: 182 1880 |
| Ophrys apifera f. flavescens | (Rosbach) P.D.Sell | Fl. Great Britain Ireland 5: 365 (1996) |
| Ophrys apifera var. friburgensis | Freyhold | Tagebl. Versamml. Deutsch. Naturf. Aerzte 52: 220 (1879) |
| Ophrys apifera subsp. friburgensis | (Freyhold) P.Fourn. | Fl. Compl. Plaine Franç. 516. 1928 (1928) |
| Ophrys apifera var. fulvofusca | M.P.Grasso & Scrugli | Orchidee (Hamburg) 38: 47 (1987) |
| Ophrys apifera var. immaculata | Bréb. | Fl. Normandie ed. 2: 261. 1849 |
| Ophrys apifera subsp. jurana | Ruppert ex Zimm. | Allg. Bot. Z. Syst. 17: 2 (1911) |
| Ophrys apifera var. muteliae | Mutel | Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot. sér. 2, 3: 243. 1835 |
| Ophrys apifera var. tilaventina | Nonis & Liverani | Caesiana 9: 57 (1997) |
| Ophrys apifera var. trollii | (Hegetschw.) Rchb.f. | Icon. Fl. Germ. Helv. 13-14: 97 1851 |
| Ophrys apifera f. trollii | (Hegetschw.) P.D.Sell | Fl. Great Britain Ireland 5: 365 (1996) |
| Ophrys apifera subsp. trollii | (Hegetschw.) K.Richt. | Pl. Eur. 1: 264. 1890 (1890) |
| Ophrys aquisgranensis | Kaltenb. | Verh. Naturhist. Vereines Preuss. Rheinl. Westphalens 7: 519 (1850) |
| Ophrys adrachnites | Mill. | Gard. Dict. ed. 8 : n.º 7 (1768) |
| Ophrys asilifera | Vayr. | Anales Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 9: 98 (1880) |
| Ophrys austriaca | Wiesb. ex Dichtl | Deutsche Bot. Monatsschr. 1: 148 (1883) |
| Ophrys botteronii | Chodat | Bull. Trav. Soc. Bot. Genève 5: 187 (1889) |
| Ophrys chlorantha | Hegetschw. | Fl. Schweiz [Hegetschweiler] 876. 1840 [Sep 1840] |
| Ophrys epeirophora | Peter | Flora 66: 10 (1883) |
| Ophrys friburgensis | (Freyhold) O.Nägeli | Ber. Schweiz. Bot. Ges. 21: 178. 1912 (1912) |
| Ophrys immaculata | (Bréb.) O.Nägeli | Jahresh. Vereins Vaterl. Naturk. Wurttemberg 72: 217. 1916 (1916) |
| Ophrys integra | Sacc. | Nuovo Giorn. Bot. Ital. 3: 165 (1871) |
| Ophrys jurana | W.Zimmerm. ex A.Fuchs | Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 51: 136, hybr. 1928 |
| Ophrys purpurea | Tausch | Flora 14: 222 (1831) |
| Ophrys ripaensis | Porta | Atti Accad. Rovereto , ser. 3, 11(2): 7 (1905) |
| Ophrys rostrata | Ten. | Index Seminum (NAP, Neapolitano) 1830: 15 (1830) |
| Ophrys saraepontana | Ruppert | Verh. Naturhist. Vereines Preuss. Rheinl. Westphalens 81: 181 (1924) |
| Ophrys scolopax subsp. oestrifera | (M.Bieb.) Soó | Acta Bot. Acad. Sci. Hung. 16: 386 (1970 publ. 1971) |
| Ophrys trollii | Hegetschw. | Fl. Schweiz [Hegetschweiler] 874. 1840 [Sep 1840] |
| Orchis apifera | Salisb. | Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton : 7 (1796) |
| Orchis holoserica | Burm.f. | Nova Acta Phys.-Med. Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol. Nat. Cur. 4(App.): 237 (1770) |
| Orchis oestrifera | M.Bieb. | Fl. Taur.-Caucas. 3: 605 (1819) |
| Orchis pseudoapifera | Caldesi | Nuovo Giorn. Bot. Ital. 12: 258 (1880) |
| Ophrys apifera var. basiliensis | S.Schwegler & Matthies | Orchid Rev. 112: 214 (2004) |
| Ophrys apifera var. curviflora | A.Soulié | Orchidophile (Deuil-la-Barre) 163: 296 (2004) |
| Ophrys apifera var. purpurea | (Tausch) Nyman | Consp. Fl. Eur. 698. 1882 |
| Ophrys apifera var. speciosa | Nyman | Consp. Fl. Eur. 698. 1882 |
| Ophrys apifera f. basiliensis | (S.Schwegler & Matthies) P.Delforge | Naturalistes Belges 87(Orchid. 19): 259 (2006) |
| Ophrys apifera f. curviflora | (A.Soulié) P.Delforge | Naturalistes Belges 87(Orchid. 19): 260 (2006) |
| Ophrys apifera f. friburgensis | (Freyhold) P.Delforge | Naturalistes Belges 87(Orchid. 19): 260. 2006 [24 Nov 2006] |
| Ophrys apifera subsp. muteliae | (Mutel) K.Richt. | Pl. Eur. 1: 264. 1890 (1890) |
| Ophrys apifera subsp. purpurea | (Tausch) K.Richt. | Pl. Eur. 1: 264. 1890 (1890) |
| Ophrys apifera var. brevilabellata | Kreutz, R.Selig & Zelesny | Ber. Arbeitskreis. Heimische Orchid. 24(1): 93 (2007) |
| Ophrys apifera f. brevilabellata | (Kreutz, R.Selig & Zelesny) P.Delforge | Naturalistes Belges 88: 251 (2008) |
| Ophrys apifera f. almaracensis | (Pérez-Chisc., Durán Oliva & Gil Llano) P.Delforge | Naturalistes Belges 88: 246 (2007) |
| Ophrys apifera f. belgarum | (Turner Ettl.) P.Delforge | Naturalistes Belges 88: 246 (2007) |
| Ophrys apifera f. fulvofusca | (M.P.Grasso & Scrugli) P.Delforge | Naturalistes Belges 88: 246 (2007) |
| Ophrys scolopax var. oestrifera | (M.Bieb.) Rchb.f. | Icon. Fl. Germ. Helv. 13-14: 99 1851 |
| Ophrys picta var. oestrifera | (M.Bieb.) Bory & Chaub. | Exp. Sci. Morée, Bot. 62. 1832 |
| Ophrys apifera var. subterrostrunca | Brot. | Phytogr. Lusitan. Select. 1: 32. 1817 |
| Ophrys apifera f. chodatii | Wilczek | Bull. Herb. Boissier II, 6: 324 1906 |
| Ophrys apifera var. olimpiadae | Ugr. ex E.G.Camus | Iconogr. Orchid. Europe 1: 5. 1921 (1921) |
| Ophrys apifera f. aurita | (Moggr.) Soó | Bot. Arch. 3: 34 1928 |
| Ophrys apifera var. filitepala | Chodat | Bull. Soc. Bot. Genève sér. 2, 5: 15. 1913 |
| Ophrys apifera f. pauciflora | A.Terracc. | Nuovo Giorn. Bot. Ital. n.s., 15: 202 1907 |
| Ophrys apifera var. cordatitepala | Chodat | Bull. Soc. Bot. Genève sér. 2, 5: 15. 1913 |
| Ophrys apifera var. austriaca | (Wiesb. ex Dichtl) Beck | Fl. Nieder-Osterreich 1: 198. 1890 |
| Ophrys mangini | Tallon | Actes Reserve Zool. Bot. Camargue 24: 76. 1941 (1941) |
| Ophrys apifera var. laetitiae | Klaver | GIROS Notiz. 45: 16 (2010) |
| Ophrys apifera var. patinata | U.Grabner & Kreutz | Ber. Arbeitskreis. Heimische Orchid. 27: 62 (2010 publ. 2011) |
| Ophrys apifera var. saraepontana | (Ruppert) H.Baumgartner bis & Kreutz | Ber. Arbeitskreis. Heimische Orchid. 27: 215 (2010 publ. 2011) |
| Ophrys apifera subsp. trollii | (Hegetschw.) O.Bolòs | But. Inst. Catalana Hist. Nat. 59 Bot., 8: 145 (1991):. |
| Ophrys apifera f. badensis | (L.Lewis & Kreutz) P.Delforge | Naturalistes Belges 93: 242 (2012) |
| Ophrys apifera f. patinata | (U.Grabner & Kreutz) P.Delforge | Naturalistes Belges 93: 242 (2012) |
| Ophrys apifera f. flaveola | Klaver & Kreutz | GIROS Orch. Spont. Eur. 59: 48 (2016) |
| Ophrys apifera var. badensis | L.Lewis & Kreutz | J. Eur. Orch. 44: 409 (2012) |
| Ophrys apifera var. cambrensis | M.J.Clark | J. Eur. Orch. 46: 726 (2014) |
| Ophrys apifera var. urbinensis | Klaver | GIROS Orch. Spont. Eur. 59: 288 (2016) |
| Ophrys apifera var. atrofusca | J.Dierckx, Kreutz, D.Riepe & L.Segers | J. Eur. Orch. 48: 329 (2016) |
| Ophrys arachnites | (L.) Reichard | Fl. Moeno-Francof. 2: 89 (1778) |
| Ophrys bicolor | O.Nägeli | Ber. Schweiz. Bot. Ges. 23: 64 (1914) |
| Ophrys apifera f. tilaventina | (Nonis & Liverani) P.Delforge | Naturalistes Belges 88: 247 (2007) |
| Ophrys apifera var. emanuelae | Benigni, Barigelli & Petroselli | Micol. Marche, N.S. 5(1): 43. 2021 |
| Ophrys apifera var. maculata | Jakely & Könighofer | Ber. Arbeitskreis. Heimische Orchid. 38(2): 35. 2021 |
| Ophrys apifera var. punctata | Jakely & Könighofer | Ber. Arbeitskreis. Heimische Orchid. 38(2): 41. 2021 |
| Ophrys apifera var. renatae | K.Barbieri, L.Barbieri & Contorni | GIROS Orch. Spont. Eur. 62: 448 (2019) |
| Cephalophrys integra | (Sacc.) Cox | Orchid World 2: 114 (1912) |
| Ophrys insectifera subsp. apifera | (Huds.) Moggr. | Nov. Actorum Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol. German. Nat. Cur. 35(3): 13 (1869) |
| Ophrys apifera subsp. olympiadae | Ougrinski | Iconogr. Orchid. Europe expl. Pl. : 5, t. 68 (1929) |
| Ophrys apifera subsp. arachnites | (L.) H.C.Watson | London Cat. Brit. Pl. , ed. 25: 21 (1867) |
| Ophrys trollii var. virescens | Chodat | Bull. Soc. Bot. Genève , sér. 2,: f. 17 (1913) |
| Ophrys insectifera var. purpurata | Moggr. | Nov. Actorum Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol. German. Nat. Cur. 35(3): 14 (1869) |
| Ophrys apifera var. purpurata | Rchb.f. | Icon. Fl. Germ. Helv. 13-14: 97 (1851) |
| Ophrys insectifera var. trollii | Moggr. | Nov. Actorum Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol. German. Nat. Cur. 35(3): 14 (1869) |
| Ophrys apifera var. broteroi | Welw. ex Nyman | Consp. Fl. Eur. : 698 (1882) |
| Ophrys apifera var. libanotica | Addam & Bou-Hamdan | J. Ecol. Environm. Sci. 7(2): 178. 2016 [28 May 2016] [epublished] |
| Ophrys apifera f. austroalsatica | Sprunger & Rolf Kühn | Orchidee, Taxon. Mitt. 8(8): 52. 2022 |
| Ophrys apifera var. quintianensis | Berzacola | GIROS Orch. Spont. Eur. 65(1): 21. 2022 [1 May 2022] |
| Ophrys insectifera subvar. aurita | Moggr. | Nov. Actorum Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol. German. Nat. Cur. 35(6 no.11): 13, taf.4 (fig. 32,34) 1870 |
| Ophrys apifera var. jenensis | Voelckel & E.Theel | Orchidee, Taxon. Mitt. 3(14): 95 (2017) |
| Ophrys apifera subsp. botteronii | (Chodat) Nägeli | Ill. Fl. Mitt.-Eur. 2: 324 (1909) |
| Ophrys arachnites | Mill. | Gard. Dict., ed. 8. n. 7 1768 |
| Ophrys jurana | (Ruppert ex Zimm.) Neuberger | Schulfl. Baden ed. 7-8: 57 (1925) |
| Ophrys apifera f. friburgensis | (Freyhold) M.Schulze | Oesterr. Bot. Z. 49: 269 (1899) |
| Ophrys apifera prol. botteronii | (Chodat) Asch. & Graebn. | Syn. Mitteleur. Fl. 3: 651 (1907) |
| Ophrys apifera subsp. immaculata | (Bréb.) O.Nägeli | Jahresh. Vereins Vaterl. Naturk. Wurttemberg 72: 217 (1916) |
| Ophrys apifera var. jurana | (Ruppert ex Zimm.) C.Schust. | Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 60: 435 (1935) |
| Ophrys insectifera subsp. arachnites | (L.) Moggr. | Nov. Actorum Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol. German. Nat. Cur. 35(3): 12 (1869) |
| Ophrys apifera lus. immaculata | (Bréb.) Soó | Monogr. Iconogr. Orchid. Eur. 2: 70 -1931 |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | bee orchid |
| Spanish | compañon de perro |
| Spanish | orquídea abeja |
| Spanish | yerba de la abeja |
| Spanish | abejas del parnaso |
| Spanish | companon de perro |
| Spanish | compañón de perro |
| Arabic | الحاجبية النحلية |
| Arabic | حاجبية نحلية |
| Arabic | أوفريس نحلي |
| Azerbaijani | arı qaş səhləbi |
| Bulgarian | пчелоносно бръмбарче |
| Bulgarian | обикновена пчелица |
| Bengali | মধুপ-মোহিনী |
| co | urchidea abba |
| co | orchidea abba |
| co | orchidea apa |
| Czech | tořič včelonosný |
| Czech | bezostrožka včelí |
| Welsh | tegeirian y wenynen |
| Danish | biblomst |
| German | bienenragwurz |
| German | bienen-ragwurz |
| Esperanto | abela ofriso |
| Basque | erle-lore |
| Persian | ابرویی زنبوری |
| Finnish | mehiläisorho |
| Irish | magairlín na mbeach |
| Galician | abelleira común |
| Hebrew | דבורנית הדבורה |
| Croatian | pčelina kokica |
| Upper Sorbian | pčołaca orchija |
| Hungarian | méhbangó |
| Armenian | Սարդակիր մեղվակիր |
| Italian | vesparia |
| Japanese | オフリス・アピフェラ |
| Cornish | tegeyryan gwenen |
| lb | beien-aperhoerorchidee |
| Malayalam | ഒഫ്രിസ് അപിഫെറ |
| Norwegian Bokmål | bieorkide |
| Dutch | bijeorchis |
| Dutch | bijenorchis |
| Norwegian Nynorsk | biblom |
| Polish | dwulistnik pszczeli |
| Punjab | مکھی رنگرتی |
| Portuguese | erva-abelha |
| Russian | Офрис оводоносная |
| Russian | Офрис паучковый |
| Russian | Офрис пчелоносная |
| Slovak | hmyzovník včelovitý |
| Slovenian | čebeljeliko mačje uho |
| Swedish | bi-ofrys |
| Tamil | தேனீப்போலி நுதலி |
| Turkish | arı salebi |
| Ukrainian | Офрис бджолоносна |
| Ukrainian | Комашник бджолоносний |
| Ukrainian | Кома́шник бджолоносний |
| Ukrainian | Офрис бджолоносний |
| Chinese | 蜂兰 |
| Chinese | 蜂蘭 |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!
No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
-
Africa click to expand
-
Northern Africa
- Algeria
- Libya
- Morocco
- Tunisia
-
Northern Africa
-
Asia-temperate click to expand
-
Caucasus
- North Caucasus
- Transcaucasus
-
Western Asia
- Cyprus
- East Aegean Islands
- Iran
- Iraq
- Lebanon-Syria
- Palestine
- Turkey
-
Caucasus
-
Europe click to expand
-
Eastern Europe
- Krym
-
Middle Europe
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czechoslovakia
- Germany
- Hungary
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Switzerland
-
Northern Europe
- Denmark
- Great Britain
- Ireland
-
Southeastern Europe
- Albania
- Bulgaria
- Greece
- Italy
- Kriti
- Romania
- Sicilia
- Turkey-in-Europe
- Yugoslavia
-
Southwestern Europe
- Baleares
- Corse
- France
- Portugal
- Sardegna
- Spain
-
Eastern Europe
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000257401 |
| Tropicos | 23500891 |
| INPN | 110335 |
| Flora of Italy | 8145 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:647746-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-140745 |
| PFAF | Ophrys apifera |
| Open Tree Of Life | 753610 |
| Observations.org | 7116 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 78817 |
| NBN Atlas | NHMSYS0000461294 |
| IPNI | 647746-1 |
| iNaturalist | 83811 |
| iNaturalist | 83812 |
| iNaturalist | 83816 |
| GBIF | 2792998 |
| Freebase | /m/0grkg |
| EPPO | OPRAP |
| EOL | 1136554 |
| Elurikkus | 304782 |
| Wikipedia | Ophrys_apifera |
| Plantarium | 25595 |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Phytochemical Profile Top
Add a new one!
No natural compounds are linked yet. If you wish to help please use this tool.
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |