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› Orchidaceae › Bee Orchid
Bee Orchid
📚 Ophrys apifera
Family: Orchidaceae
🐝 Pollinator 🦌 Deer Resistant
Full sun
Sunlight
Low
Water Needs
Slow
Growth Rate
1.50'
Height
19
Views
⚠️
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About
Safety & Benefits
Care & Growing
Harvest
Ecology
Family & Sources
🌿 About
The Bee Orchid is a captivating wildflower that mimics the shape and scent of a female bee to attract male bees for pollination. Its intricate pink and brown flowers bloom in late spring to early summer, making it a favorite among orchid enthusiasts. Native to Europe and parts of the Mediterranean, it thrives in poor, calcareous soils.
📍 Native to: Europe, North Africa, Middle East, Mediterranean basin
✅ Harmful or Beneficial
🐝 Good for Pollinators 🦌 Deer Resistant ☀️ Drought Tolerant ✓ Safe for Humans 🐾 Pet Safe
Adds unique beauty to wildflower gardens and meadows with its striking, bee-like flowers. Supports local pollinator populations by providing nectar and engaging in specialized pollination. Low-maintenance and drought-tolerant once established, ideal for naturalistic planting schemes.
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🌱 Care & Growing Conditions
🪨 Soil: well-drained, alkaline to neutral, sandy or chalky loam
Bright indirect light, moderate watering when soil is dry, well-drained alkaline soil, cool to mild temperatures (10-25°C)
✂️ Propagation
Propagate by seed sown in a sterile, well-drained medium; requires mycorrhizal fungi for germination. Division of established clumps is possible but slow.
🌾 Harvest Information
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Attracts male bees through mimicry of female bee pheromones and appearance, facilitating pollination. Provides nectar for a variety of insects.
🤝 Companion plants: Wild thyme, Kidney vetch, Common spotted orchid, Pyramidal orchid, Marjoram
🔬 Botanical Family: Orchidaceae
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