Epipactis - orkidéernes berusende nektar

• DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7856715
• Publication Date: 2023-01-10
• Authors: Nora E. Anghelescu
• Keywords: pollination; Romania; plants; conservation; nectar; 15. Life on land; wasps; narcotic; sugars; narcotic nectar; pollination strategies; orchids; Epipactis atrorubens; pollinators; bees; Epipactis; Epipactis helleborine; ecology; Orchidaceae

Epipactis is a well-known orchid genus, represented by approximately 72 species and nothospecies (species of hybrid origin) distributed across Europe, eastward through Asia to Japan, and southward to tropical Africa. Epipactis are rewarding species that attract and recompense pollinating insects with their abundant, nourishing nectar, secreted in the hypochile (sometimes called the nectar cup). The most important purpose of nectar is to attract pollinators and, since insects love sugary foods that give lots of energy, its main ingredient is sugar (in the form of glucose, fructose and saccharose). Apart from sugars, nectar also contains amino acids, lipids and organic acids, as well as various vitamins, enzymes, antioxidants and minerals. However, the nectar of some species of Epipactis is unusual. In 1971, Bell had suggested that the plants secrete hallucinogenic or narcotic substances, causing an addiction in their pollinators and in 1988, Müller analysed the nectar of Epipactis helleborine and discovered that it contained an ethanol concentration as high as 0.02%. The article describes in detail the pollination of Epipactis orchids and the addiction caused by their narcotic nectar to the insect (pollinators and visitors).