Dactylorhiza incarnata
Early Marsh-orchid
Species Details
A very rare native perennial of wet meadows and marshes. All five modern locations are widely separated. These are a private quarry near Buxton (SK0976), Ramsley Moor (SK2876), Hilton Gravel Pits (SK2431), Glapwell Reclamation Site (SK4669) and Alderwasley (SK3253). Older records also exist for the first three sites.
Three subspecies occur here. Xxincarnata is taken to be the "common" plant in Derbyshire (Clapham, 1969). Subsp. Xxcoccinea and Xxpulchrella have both only been recorded at the Buxton quarry, first found by P.Torry in 1996, though subsequently determined by different experts.The former is a plant of base-rich sandy marshes near the sea, so its occurrence here is unexpected. The latter is found on acid to neutral mires (Stace, 1997).
This plant is in Category 5a of the local Red Data List, 2009.