Giant orchids that can reach up to 3.2ft (one metre) tall have been discovered in Oxfordshire – marking the first time they’ve been spotted growing wild in the UK.
The stunning pink flowers were spotted on a grassy slope near Didcot, Oxfordshire by trainee nurse Hamza Nobes, while he was out on a walk.
The 29-year-old said he was ‘ecstatic’ to discover the plant here in the UK, although he doesn’t wish to reveal its exact location.
Giant orchids that can reach up to 3.2ft tall are discovered growing wild in Oxfordshire – marking the first time they’ve been spotted in the UK (stock image)
The giant orchid, called Himantoglossum robertianum, is typically found in southern and central Europe, and has sweet-smelling purplish-red flowers.
Mr Nobes, who has been interested in orchids for two years, discovered the flowers down a steep slope while out on a walk.
Speaking to The Guardian, he said: ‘I was ecstatic. I’ve never really found anything, and I’m not a botanist in any way shape or form.
‘It was weird, because a few weeks prior I was looking through my European orchid book and I was looking at the giant orchid and thought that’s such a beautiful orchid, it would be lovely to see one day, maybe in Greece or somewhere, but really it was just 10 minutes from my house.’
While Himantoglossum robertianum is typically found in southern and central Europe, it has been spotted in France, the Netherlands and now the UK, amid rising temperatures.
However, it is not believed the plants arrived here naturally.
Instead, it’s likely someone scattered the seeds in both Oxfordshire and the Netherlands around 15 years ago, according to The Guardian.
The giant orchid, called Himantoglossum robertianum, is typically found in southern and central Europe, and has sweet-smelling purplish-red flowers
While Himantoglossum robertianum is typically found in southern and central Europe, it has been spotted in France, the Netherlands and now the UK, amid rising temperatures
Professor Ian Denholm, an orchid expert from the University of Hertfordshire, described it as an ‘exciting find’.
‘There was a [giant orchid] seen about 15 years ago, it wasn’t widely reported and it came as news to me in fact … it was never really made public, and the plant itself presumably didn’t last very long,’ he told The Guardian.
‘It’s a very stately orchid. It lives up to its name of giant orchid. It’s got quite a long and dense flower spike.’