Habenaria epipactidea flower ages

At the top of the visible part of this Habenaria epipactidea inflorescence the buds are still closed. Shaped nearly globose they are green-striped at the tips of the curving ovaries and spurs behind.

In the centre part of the spike, each open flower has two whitish lateral petals flanking (and dominating) the green dorsal sepal right behind them in the hood. Below this rounded flower cup, the long whitish oblong of the lip angles down conspicuously, round-tipped like a tongue. This is actually the central of three lip lobes, the lateral pair spiky and tiny, easy to spot.

Further down, at the bottom of the flower spike the petals of the hood flanks, as well as the lip, have turned yellow. The yellowing is the sign of flower ageing (Pooley, 1998; Lowrey and Wright, 1987; iNaturalist).