Switzerland 2008

[Joakim B]

Tony
Here is what Butler says about N.rubra.Habitat: poor calcareous Alpine grassland over 1500m; on limestone and calcareous slate.
Distribution: Alps and Carpathians: from Tessin and Toggenburg eastwards to lower Austria east Romania and south Carpathians.
Hybrids N and G produce hybrids:similar to N but possess twisted flowers (labellum placed sideways, variable) and spur length of 3mm and more.
The book also give a wide range of colours for N. nigra that is not that far away from Yours.
The key describes flowers ruby Labellum concave and almost always constricted in the lower third to a saddle.
Hope this helps for You to key this one.
Maybe others may know more about this.
Kind regards
Joakim

[tonyg]

That is very helpful Joakim.  I think this is a hybrid between the Nigritella and the Gymnadenia.  The flowers fit your description quite well and looking closely they are not like the Nigritella, indeed the labellum does appear to be placed sideways.  Thanks!

[David Nicholson]

Enjoying your pictures Tony.

[Lesley Cox]

Your mother-in-law's comment about chives doesn't surprise me Luit. Here, we have wild thyme (Thymus vulgaris, not native though) growing naturilized over thousands of acres of the hot, dry Central Otago hillsides. The summer scent is intoxicating as the oil is distilled in the hot air. I always collect a few plants when I can, in preference to the "tame" thyme I grow in my garden.

[Paddy Tobin]

Hoping these photographs may add to Tony's comments about the variability of dactylorhizas.

Tony, These were taken in the wooded area below the Mannlichen cable car station on the Wengen side.

Lesley, on our visit the weather was very variable, from days of being completely clouded in to days of sparkling sunshine and blue skies. On these latter days the smell of the wild thyme was absolutely delicious - who wants to smell chives?

Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

Nigritella for comparison.

This was taken in the Botanic Gardens at Schynice Platte

Paddy

[tonyg]

Paddy - thanks for these pics.  Did you walk UP from Wengen??  The climb up to the Mannlichen is not for the faint hearted.  (BTW your last pic in the dactylorhiza sequence is not a dactylorhiza at all ... it is Pedicularis verticillata doing a passable imitation.  Look at the stem leaves and you'll see it is no orchid.)

[Paddy Tobin]

Tony,

These were from a walk BELOW the Mannlichen cable car station, below in Wengen that is. No, I certainly did not even contemplate attempting walking UP to the Mannlichen; that would be a climb not a walk, I think.

Many thanks for your correction on the last photograph. It was only one of many confusions in identification for me while there. For anyone going on a visit there for the first time and of similar experience to me (little experience, in other words) a visit to the Botanic Gardens at Schynige Platte would be of enormous benefit as there are dozens and dozens of plants in flower and all clearly labelled.

Paddy

[tonyg]

Feel free to post more of your pics here.  Happy to help with IDs where I can and where I cannot someone else will .  I have  a copy of Flora Helvetica which is invaluable in naming some of the more obscure things.  The text is in german but the distribution maps are helpful and the pictures excellent.  It is VERY heavy though so it does not go out on day trips with me.

[Brian Ellis]

Feel free to post more of your pics here

Absolutely.  Super pictures Tony - a bit different from Norwich!!

[tonyg]

As the morning progressed the sun broke through the clouds and out of the wind it began to feel like summer.  By July there are some larger plants in flower in the meadows such as Adenostyles alliariae but there are still plenty of little gems.  One such was Tofieldia calyculata, a tiny (and slightly improbable) member of the Liliaceae.  In damp places Eriophorum was abundant with its cottony tufts taking the eye away from companion plants until on closer inspection a great display of dactylorhizas was evident.
Disturbed from my low level photography by a thunderous rumble I looked up to see an avalanche.  A torrent of ice crashed down from the icefields high above.  The great clouds of ice and snow had subsided by the time thecamera was primed for distant shots but the evidence was still clear to see.

[Maggi Young]

Wonderful to share this visit  with these super  views of the glorious landscape. No surprise, perhaps, that my favourite pix have the Rhododendrons in the foreground!!
I adore all Pedicularis and really wish more were amenable to cultivation.

Once I tore myself away from the portraits of the Hubis, I was delighted to see that old tribute to my favourite stock..... a little artistic licence taken of course.... my dress actually was white with blue spots I make no comment about my companion....

[tonyg]

Here is a pic with a Rhodie in the background ... without flowers
Aconitum napellus ... ssp compactum I think.  This seems to be a complex group and I have rarely been in the mountains late enough to see them in flower.
Buds from a tall gentian were tight closed at first on the walk but as I descended they were a bit more advanced.  The third pic was the only one that I saw open.
As with the last two there will be more Arnica montana to see if you visit in August.  I did see it in profusion in 2003 in June but that was a heatwave year and everything was much more advanced than is usual.

[Paddy Tobin]

Tony,

When we were in Wengen the Gentiana purpurea were in tight bud, not even showing a sign of colour.

However,  in another location, Gentiana lutea was in flower and in profusion in the meadows on the hillside on the approach to Schinige Platte. These photographs were taken out the window of the train which fortunately travels at a slow pace and the windows were wide open.

Imagine - where the cows had been allowed to graze the Gentiana lutea were all well chopped down. What a dreadful end for such a beautiful plant. A notice in the Botanic Garden at Schinige Platte informed the visitor that the root of Geniana lutea was used in the production of schnapps but visitors should be careful not to confuse the plant with the veratrum, which also grew locally, as the veratrum was poisonous. Personally, I confined myself to the schnapps which came in the bottle.

Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

A few views from the area of Schinige Platte, showing meadows and the richness of flowers in them. Look carefully at the second last photograph - can you spot the paraglider? If not, the last photograph has zoomed in on him. I found scenes such as this hugely captivating as they brought home the great height as which we stood. On other occasions we looked down on helicopters and aeroplanes in flight. It struck me as so very odd.

Paddy