Species name :

Serapias linguaL.
Published in Sp. Pl. : 950 (1753)

Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.)

Serapias columnae (Rchb.f.) H.Fleischm.

Full list of synonyms : [Euro+Med] [WFO] [IPNI] [POWO] [Catalogue of Life] [Worldplants.de]

Plant Family :

Orchidaceae Juss. (The Orchid Family)
41 species from the Orchidaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands.

English name(s) :

Tongue Orchid, Tongue Serapias

Maltese name(s) :

Orkida tal-ilsien

Status for Malta :

Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man

Frequency :

Very Common     Common    Frequent     Scarce     Rare    Very rare     Extinct

Growth form :

Germination type [info]: Monocotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Geophyte ( perennials bearing underground bulbs, tubers, rhizomes, stolons, etc. )

Legal Protection :

Protected by law: Schedule VI of [S.L. 549.44] (strictly protected species)

Red List (1989) :

Threatened status for the Maltese Islands and has been listed in the Red Data Book (1st ed.)

Flowering Time :

March – April

Colour of Flowers:

Violet or Pink

Toxicity:

Not particularly toxic

Name Derivation :

Serapias: ()

lingua: ()

Planting in rural areas :

Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines

Remarks :

Serapias lingua was historically recorded from Wied Baruni (Marsascala) and Wied Incita (Attard), but had not been observed for over a century and was presumed extinct in the Maltese Islands. However, thanks to increased awareness and field knowledge of orchids, particularly via Mifsud's book (2018) Orchids of the Maltese Islands, citizen science played a more pivotal role in search for orchids in Malta.

In 19th March 2021, Benjamin Metzger located a clump of approximately 25 individuals at Pembroke. The identification was subsequently confirmed by botanists Stephen Mifsud and Edwin Lanfranco. Just about two weeks later, Mifsud discovered a second, smaller population consisting of three plants in southern areas of Malta (see image SRPLI-4). This rediscovery is significant, highlighting how easily orchids can be overlooked and underscoring the critical importance of communication and collaboration in botanical monitoring. If you encounter rare orchid species, please contact the author at info@maltawildplants.com. Kindly refrain from sharing exact locations on social media to protect these sensitive populations.