A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Nigritella nigra
The Black Vanilla Orchid is a small, deep red European orchid found in alpine pastures between 1500 and 2500 m ASL. The flowers are arranged on a globular spike, and have a deep vanilla smell. The plant loves full light and flowers between end of June and mid-August. Protected by CITES, the main threats to this little alpine jewel are greedy hikers and overgrazing.
Calcarous grassy area, 2200 m ASL. Last picture shows the habitat.
The flower smells strongly of vanilla if you get down on your hands and knees and smell it! Unlike most orchids, the labellum (lip) is directed towards the top of the flower.The plant grows to ~20 cm high. Leaves are found as a rosette as the basis of the plant, with a few more bract-like leaves alternating on the stem. More pictures of the whole plant can be found here (sighted on the opposite side of the same valley) http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/125...
Spotted on Jul 15, 2014
Submitted on Jul 30, 2014
31 Comments (1–25)
Thanks devirose! Below is the distribution for Switzerland so you have good chances if you go high enough:
http://www.infoflora.ch/fr/flore/8641-ni...
Beautiful. I am going mushroom hunting in some nearby mountains in Lucerne, Switzerland. I'm going to keep my eyes open for this beauty!
Thanks António!
Wow,just beautiful Danièle,super,congrats on the well deserved SOTD and thanks for sharing
Thank you Satyen :-)
Belated Congratulations Daniele!
Thank you Marc!
stunning orchid!!
Thanks Saumya and Maria!
Congratulations on your SOTD, Daniele, and for posting a protected species!
Congrats on your vanilla smelling SOTD ! :)
Thank you Chief!
Congratulations on your SOTD!
Thanks everyone! Jopy, I hope you find one one day :-)
Congrats, Daniele...well deserved...wonderful orchid, I hope I will find it one day in our mountains :)
Congratulations :)
Very special indeed. Thanks and congratulations.
Congratulations!
Ditto to everybody. A great spotting, Daniele, in such a beautiful place. Congrats on your SOTD.
Congratulations Daniele for a well-deserved SOTD!
Thank you very much for the honor Yasser, and thanks everyone for your comments!
Congratulations Daniele! Very beautiful photos of the flower and the landscape!
Congrats!!
lovely!
Congrats Daniele!!beautiful!!