October 26, 2022, 4:42 am | Read time: 2 minutes
Named for its two heart-shaped leaves that face each other at the lower part of the stem, the flower cluster has up to ten small blossoms, and it prefers mossy grounds in coniferous forests: The heart-leaved twayblade is an endangered orchid.
The heart-leaved twayblade has been chosen as the Orchid of the Year 2023. The delicate orchid has been particularly affected by the climatic changes of recent decades, according to the Working Groups of Native Orchids of the federal states in Arnstadt, Thuringia.
Heart-Leaved Twayblade is the “Orchid of the Year 2023”
Since 1988, a particularly endangered species has been designated as the Orchid of the Year by orchid associations. In Germany, there are a little more than 60 species.
The heart-leaved twayblade is referred to by experts as Neottia cordata or Listera cordata. It is characterized by two heart-shaped leaves that face each other at the lower part of the stem. The flower cluster has five to ten loosely arranged, small, green to yellow-green, sometimes also reddish flowers. The orchid blooms from the end of May to July.
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Experts Warn of Decline in the Species
Humid coniferous forests with mossy soils are the habitat of the up to 15-centimeter-tall Orchid of the Year 2023. “Decreasing rainfall, bark beetle infestations, and not least the die-off of entire spruce populations are leading to a sometimes drastic decline of this small orchid,” the representatives of the Working Groups of Native Orchids reported.
The occurrences in the Harz region are particularly at risk, according to the working group. In the northern German low mountain ranges, the orchid is threatened with extinction. The climatic conditions are better in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.
with material from dpa