Croatia's wild orchids are not the spectacular kind found in the Tropics. Although prized by nature-lovers, all too often they go unnoticed by local people. The result is careless destruction of orchids and their habitats, particularly through extensive use of herbicides. Ljiljana Borovečki-Voska is a top-class botanist, by profession a schoolteacher. Her husband Berislav Horvatić was a senior scientist at the Institute of Physics in Zagreb, and since retiring he has devoted much of his time and scientific expertise to studying orchids alongside his wife.
The Ohprys pharia has been elusive over the years. Berislav and Ljiljana knew that the Ophrys pharia, is particular to Hvar: it was described by P. Devillers and J. Devillers-Terschuren in Naturalistes Belges (vol. 85: 233), in 2004, and photographed near the village of Vrbanj in central Hvar in April 2007.
Prior to 2004, Ophrys pharia had been described as a sub-species. When they set out on April 29th 2023 to find the Ophrys pharia on Hvar, they were aware it would be a daunting challenge, possibly even 'mission impossible'. Ophrys pharia was described in the 'Orchids of Britain and Europe' website: "This is a highly threatened species, thought to be endemic not just to Croatia but specifically to the island of Hvar, where increasingly intensive agricultural methods are reducing the habitat available to the species which is now becoming extremely difficult to find, even in its former strongholds around Vrboska, in the central region of the island."
Seeing the tiny orchids clustered among other wildflowers makes it clear why expert macrophotography is needed to confirm sightings of rare species! More importantly, the details of the markings in individual orchids often differ only very subtly, which is of course what makes orchids such fascinating and challenging plants to study. True experts like Ljiljana (of which there are naturally very few) spend years in patient observation in order to be able to identify different species with certainty.
The Ophrys pharia hybridizes with the Ophrys rhodostephane and these hybrids are extremely rare.
The Ophrys rhodostephane is quite unlike the Ophrys pharia, and is abundant in Dalmatia, also on Hvar. A valuable tip from Berislav: "the best and easiest way to see a lot of them is driving slowly along the old road between Brusje and Selca - at the right time of the year, of course. The unpaved road through Rovan is also great."
The Dutch orchid specialist Frank Verhart during several visits observing orchids on Hvar did not see the Ophrys pharia. In the event, Berislav and Ljiljana in the space of three days found no less than nine specimens in the region of Vrbanj! Like Frank Verhart and other botanists, they immediately shared their findings with the Croatian Flora Croatica database.
Finding the Himantoglossum robertianum (syn. Barlia robertiana) was an unexpected bonus, as it had not been recorded previously on Hvar. The finder was in fact local resident Antun Vranković Bili from the village of Svirče. While finding it was difficult, once found, Ljiljana and Berislav were immediately able to identify it The initial find was in the location of Rovan near Svirče. Ljiljana and Berislav subsequently found another specimen in an olive grove below Pitve, which led them to conclude that there are more examples on the island, but they are rare.
In celebration of their historic discovery that Ophrys pharia was not extinct on Hvar, Berislav and Ljljana recorded their historic finding on mugs as a lasting memento!
We are extremely grateful to Berislav Horvatić and Ljiljana Borovečki-Voska for sharing the invaluable information about their successful field trip to Hvar in 2023, and for their permission to make use of their text and photographs. Their dedication is a vital asset in the campaign to raise awareness of the details of Croatia's exquisite natural resources in order to preserve and nurture them for future generations.
Ljiljana Borovečki-Voska is author of 'Orhideje na strahinjščici i susjednim područjima', published by Alfa, 2010.
Relevant articles of interest:
Ljiljana Borovečki-Voska, Berislav Horvatic. 2020. Orhidejski hibridi (Orchidaceae) na otoku Krku. Orchid hybrids (Orchidceae) on the Island of Krk. Glasnik hrvatskog botaničkog društva. (Article in Croatian)
Frank Verhart: Orchid observations in Croatia in 2017 and 2018: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tqx1iIJUFLN8H7LJlFTkvlD6YhdzfsmJ/edit
Frank Verhart: 2017. Orchids on Pelješac. Eco Hvar website.
Frank Verhart. Orchid observations in Croatia in 2019. http://www.franknature.nl/Verhart%20orchid%20observations%20in%20Croatia%20in%202019.pdf
Grace Brewer. February 2024. Sneaky orchids and their pollination tricks. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Blog article.
