Satyrium hallackii subsp. ocellatum

This short spike of Satyrium hallackii subsp. ocellatum flowers have the crested lip uppermost, more prominent than the other tepals. The two lateral sepals, spreading sideways to 1,5 cm wide, are the largest. The two slender spurs curving down at the back of the lip are longer than the ovary at the back of the flower. Dark, down-flexed leafy bracts contrast against the flowers.

The subspecies descriptor ocellatum that means having little eyes in Latin, refers to the two pollinia under the hood showing this resemblance. Pollinia are the clustered masses of pollen grains produced by the anther lobes. They can be seen in the centre top flower in the picture as two whitish vertical oblongs (Manning, 2009; Germishuizen and Fabian, 1982).