Orchid – Genus Serapias  

The name comes from Serapis, the Egyptian god of fertility.
The genus is typical of the Mediterranean area, from the Azores to the Caucasus, and comprises around 40 species and subspecies, of which 17 are present in the Italian peninsula.
The orchids of the genus Serapias are characterised by sepals and lateral petals gathered to form a horizontal helmet, adorned with conspicuous veins and elongated labellum (median petal), which at the base presents a callosity with colour and shape differing among the various species and on which can be distinguished two areas: the concave inner part (hypochile), and the long, sharp outer part (epichile). The area between the two parts of the labellum has a more or less pronounced hairiness that is species-specific.
Pollination occurs by means of insects entering the flower to seek shelter for the night or to thermoregulate (the internal temperature of the helmet is higher than the external temperature by about 3° C).
Three varieties are hosted in the Boboli Gardens: Serapias lingua, Serapias neglecta, Serapias parviflora and Serapias vomeracea.

 Serapias lingua
The specific name refers to the general shape of the labellum, or to the brownish-red callosity present in the basal part of the labellum.
It is present in southern and central Italy and is rare in the northern regions.
The plant is 10 to 35 cm high, with 2 to 6 flowers (varying in colour from yellow to purple-red, with dark veins). The stem is delicate, erect and hosts 4 to 8 leaves.
The propagation of S. lingua may also take place vegetatively, with the formation of stolons (lateral branches capable of emitting roots).
It flowers from April to May. In Boboli, it can be found in three areas located in the meadows of Meridiana and Ganymede.

 Serapias neglecta
It owes the name to its late recognition as an autonomous species.
In Italy, it can be found only in Piedmont, Liguria, Emilia Romagna and Tuscany.
It presents a robust stem with 4 to 8 keeled and arcuate leaves, with an inflorescence consisting of 4 to 9 large flowers with silvery-grey helmet (formed by the sepals and two lateral petals) and a large labellum with red-brown hypochile and broad, heart-shaped epichile, varying in colour from yellowish to deep pink and with abundant whitish hairiness. The callosity at the base of the labellum usually consists of two parts of a red-brown colour, shiny and diverging.
It blooms in April-May. A plant was found in the Garden at the end of April 2023 in the meadows around the statue of Pegasus, and it is hoped to find further specimens.

Serapias parviflora
Parviflora means ‘small-flowered’. It is a slender plant with a stem height of 10 to 40 cm, bearing 3 to 9 small, sometimes semi-closed, reddish-brown flowers.
It is a plant that frequently reproduces by autogamy, so it easily produces seeds.
In the meadows of Boboli it is rare. It is found in the Upper Botany and in the Meadows of Ganymede.

Serapias vomeracea
It owes its name to the shape of the labellum, which resembles the blade of a plough (from the Latin vomer).
It is a western Euro-Mediterranean species, present in all Italian regions with the exception of Sardinia.
The plant is 20 to 55 cm high, with a robust, erect stem and 4 to 8 leaves. The flowers are large, ranging from 3 to 10, of a colour that varies from pinkish-grey to purplish-brown. Together, they form an elongated spike. The labellum is 30 to 40 mm long and is densely hairy at the centre and base.
The plant flowers from April to June. It is rare in the Boboli Gardens, with a similar distribution to S. lingua.

The presence and census of wild orchids in the Boboli Gardens.