131146 SOUTHERN MARSH-ORCHID Dactylorhiza praetermissa (Orchidaceae) Height to 70cm. Robust orchid of water meadows, fens and wet dune-slacks, mostly on calcareous soils. FLOWERS are pinkish purple with a broad 3-lobed lip, 11-14mm long, the lobes shallow and blunt; borne in tall, dense spikes (May-Jun). FRUITS are egg-shaped. LEAVES are glossy dark green, unmarked (rarely ring-spotted) and broadly lanceolate, largest at the base and becoming narrower and sheathing up the stem. STATUS-Common only in S.
