# Sombre Bee-orchid (*Ophrys fusca*)

The Sombre Bee-orchid is a special flower that looks like a bee! It has beautiful dark colors and grows in sunny places. This flower is very clever because it tricks bees into helping it grow.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Grasslands

![Sombre Bee-orchid](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Ophrys_fusca_Mallorca_01.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Orchi, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ophrys_fusca_Mallorca_01.jpg)

## Appearance

The Sombre Bee-orchid has dark, velvety petals and sepals, often greenish-brown, framing a large, lobed labellum (lip). This labellum is usually reddish-brown with a distinctive bluish-grey, shiny patch, mimicking a female bee to deceive male bees.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Liliopsida
- **Order:** Asparagales
- **Family:** Orchidaceae
- **Genus:** Ophrys

## Interesting facts

- It offers absolutely no nectar, only clever deception to its visiting bees!
- It plays a clever trick called 'pseudocopulation'—fake mating—on male bees!
- Its Greek name, Ophrys, means 'eyebrow,' possibly for its velvety flower lip!
- This orchid can produce hundreds of thousands of tiny, dust-like seeds!

## Special abilities

- **Bee Mimicry:** Sombre Bee-orchid can perfectly imitate a female bee, tricking male bees into attempting to mate and pick up pollen.
- **Scent Seduction:** Sombre Bee-orchid has a special scent that mimics female bee pheromones, further luring unsuspecting male bees.
- **Pollinator Play:** Sombre Bee-orchid has a hinged labellum that helps position a 'mating' bee perfectly for pollen transfer.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 10-30 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1-2.5 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Mining Bee (*Andrena nigroaenea*) — Primary pollinator, tricked by the flower's disguise.
- **Pollinates:** Mining Bee (*Andrena gravida*) — Another key pollinator, also deceived by the orchid's mimicry.
- **Pollinates:** Mining Bee (*Andrena morio*) — Attracted by the orchid's mimicry and pheromone-like scent.

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth.
- [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished.
- [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants.
- [Endangered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/endangered): Endangered status indicates a species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look at flowers from a distance and don't pick them to keep them safe.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Sombre Bee-orchid?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Sombre Bee-orchid?

10-30 cm

### How big are the flowers on Sombre Bee-orchid?

1-2.5 cm

### When does Sombre Bee-orchid bloom?

Spring

### Is Sombre Bee-orchid edible?

No

### Is Sombre Bee-orchid toxic?

None

### What is Sombre Bee-orchid's lifecycle?

Perennial

### How is Sombre Bee-orchid pollinated?

Insect

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Sombre Bee-orchid: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sombre-bee-orchid)