In message , WaltA
writes
,,,,
Des
require very precise
conditions and availability of mycorrhizal fungi so they are notoriously
difficult to grow

I was afraid of something like that !

,,,
Robert
spike as can be seen at http://www.pbase.com/rbel1/image/82448413/large

Nice pic ! and it makes me wonder if what I had been assuming to be a
Pyramidal orchid may in fact be a Dactylorhiza
I've just spent all evening looking on the computer for my pic of it
but ,,, watch this space, I'll find it eventually !

ours has a rosette of quite long dark green pointed leaves, with
prominent dark spots, at the base round the tall stem of the flower.
whereas the Pyramidal leaves shown in Keeble-Martin are pale green
with perhaps small indistinct spots ?

He doesnt have a "common spotted " but that would fit our spotted
ones which are common here on heavy red clay over limestone hillside.

Have a look at http://tinyurl.com/27hrod (Wild Guides series) for a
quite good description and some images of the Pyramidal orchid. My
photo of the Pyramidal we have acquired reflects the fact that it had
been assaulted by a lawn mower and is not worth displaying. The dark
spots on the leaves point to the Common spotted - the flower spike of
which is more slender then the Pyramidal and the individual flowers are
clearly lined whereas those of the Pyramidal are plain. Having said
that I seem to remember that there are some varieties of the Common
spotted with differing flower forms.
--
Robert