Ophrys ×royanensis is an interesting hybrid, derived from Ophrys insectifera (MN0062) and O. drumana (MN0003). It is known from a handful of sites in the Vercors region of France where the two parent species grow in close proximity.

Following its discovery, M. & O. Gerbaud and C. J. Henniker reported and formally named the hybrid in a 1993 issue of L’Orchidophile, a publication of the Société Française d’Orchidophilie.

I wrote a small article describing Ophrys ×royanensis and providing an English version of the humorous account of its original discovery. This was published in the April 2008 issue of the Journal of the Hardy Orchid Society and I will add a web adapted version to the website shortly.

Ref: MN0011