Tongue-orchid

Serapias lingua

Serapias

Orchidaceae

Native Plants

Zone 10–11

🐾 Pet-Safe

Serapias lingua is a challenging Mediterranean terrestrial orchid best suited for outdoor rock gardens or naturalized meadows with well-drained, alkaline soil. It requires a dry summer dormancy period and thrives in full sun to partial shade, mimicking its native Mediterranean habitat. This orchid is not recommended for indoor cultivation and demands specialist care to maintain long-term.

Care Requirements

Care Level

High

Sun

Partial Sun

Water

Moderate

Growth Rate

Moderate

Mature Height

12″ – 36″

Soil

peat

Life Cycle

Perennial

Spacing

6″

Watering Schedule

Every 7-10 Days During Active Growth, Reduce In Summer Dormancy • Water Moderately, Keeping Soil Evenly Moist But Never Waterlogged

Soil pH

4.5 – 5

Temperature

55° – 85°F

Mature Spread

up to 12″

Root Depth

Shallow

Foliage

Medium

Propagation: Division

Ecology & Origin

Native to

Albania

Algeria

Baleares

Corse

East Aegean Is.

France

Great Britain

Greece

Italy

Kriti

Libya

Morocco

Portugal

Sardegna

Sicilia

Spain

Tunisia

Turkey

Yugoslavia

Attracts

🐝 Bees

Sources

Data: trefle, usda

Image: trefle.io — Taken May 3, 2020 by Llandrich anna (cc-by-sa)

Hardiness Zones

Check your zone:

Available From (0)

No nurseries currently have this species in stock.