Irish Ladies Tresses (Spiranthes Romanzoffiana) Giant’s Causeway July 28th 2017. Although I had heard about this colony I was unsure if it was more than a rumour, so I am glad to confirm its existence and health. In Europe this species is located just on the North Western fringes of the British Isles – West Coast of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Hebrides. Like all ladies tresses its common and quaintly old-fashioned English name refers to the shape of the flower spike, which twists and resembles a plait. It tends to grow in marshy meadow land, often amongst tall grass, although it will probably be in the relatively shorter grass in such fields. It seems to benefit like many meadow flora from regular grazing.
Due to its grass like leaves it can only be found when flowering, which is generally from early July in the Southern end of its distribution to mid August in the North. It is one of the few scented orchids with a delicate sweet, slightly coconut smell. Flowering plants are generally 10 – 25cm tall, although I have found them as tall as 40cm when growing in tall sward.
One of the most fascinating things about this species is pondering how it came to be in Europe at all. It is common in North America, with the only European colonies located in the British Isles a mere 4000 miles from their relatives! Some speculate it is due to the colonies being incredibly old, another being due to them growing in former ‘lazy beds’ – an old farming method in Scotland that may have resulted in their introduction. Another unusual and confusing aspect is that many of the Irish colonies do not set seeds (even the Scottish ones do not set many) so an explanation of the continuation or spread of Irish colonies has not been agreed. A possible (personal and without foundation!) explanation is linking these colonies to the migration of farmers and their cattle to Ulster, with possible movement of plant fragments in hooves. This could continue to happen to this day within Ireland.