Photos: Gerry Flannery, Bull Island

Marsh Helleborine Epipactis palustris Cuaichín corraigh Family: Orchidaceae Flowering June - July. Perennial. Native One-sided, lax racemes of pink-purplish flowers with white lip. Sepals purple-brown on outside, petals white outside, crimson and white inside. Slender, downy ovary. Mid-green leaves with prominent veins, strap-shaped, keeled. Slender downy stems, often purple-flushed. Height to 60cm. Neutral to calcareous wet ground. Marshes, lake edges, dune slacks. Can be locally frequent in central Ireland but is decreasing.

     



Marsh Helleborine. Bull Island. June, July 2005. Photographs © Gerry Flannery.