Limodorum abortivum, also known as violet limodore or violet bird's-nestorchid, is a species of myco-heterotrophic, achlorophyllous orchid and is native to mainland Europe, western Asia and the Mediterranean area. The Bird's-nestorchid is a very strange plant. It is leafless and without the green chlorophyll of other plants that enable them to gain energy from sunlight through photosynthesis; instead, it grows as a parasite on the roots of trees, gaining its nutrients from its host. Bird’s nestorchid’s growing conditions are primarily humus-rich, broad-leaved forests. The plant is named for the mass of tangled roots, which resemble a bird’s nest. Read on for more information about bird’s nestorchid wildflowers. A close up vertical image of Neottia nidus-avis growing on the forest floor. But bird’s-nestorchids take unusual to the next level. They are known as micro-heterotrophs, which means they have a relationship with mycorrhizal fungi in the soil that helps them feed. Bird's-nestOrchid is in steep decline due to loss of suitable deciduous woodland habitat which has either been eradicated altogether or converted to faster-growing cash-crop conifer woodlands. IN BUD Bird’s-nestOrchid Neottia nidus-avis HABITAT: Found in a variety of dark woodlands, but especially Beech, on calcareous soils with little or no other vegetation on the woodland fl oor . Bird’s-nestorchid, (Neottia nidus-avis), nonphotosynthetic orchid (family Orchidaceae) native to Europe and North Africa. The bird’s-nestorchid lacks chlorophyll and obtains its food from decaying organic material with the help of mycorrhizae. The bird’s nestorchid lives mainly in subalpine and beech forests, where soil is plenty of humus. Often several individuals grow together. It’s more frequent in the east half of Catalonia; for instance it’s found in the range of Catllaràs (Berguedà). Map. Protected in Estonia (protection category III). They grow in groves, hazel woods, and marshes. Bird’s-nestorchids do not have leaves and are completely brownish, which means that they can be easily mistaken for rotten stems from the previous year. Violet birdsnestorchid. Also known as: Violet bird's-nest. Violet birdsnestorchid is an orchid that depends on fungi for survival, since it does not contain enough chlorophyll to sustain photosynthesis.
