The Giardino delle Orchidee Spontanee del Mediterraneo is a botanical garden

Botanical garden

A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...

 operated by the World Wide Fund for Nature

World Wide Fund for Nature

The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...

 within its Palo Laziale nature reserve. It is located Via Palo Laziale 2, Palo Laziale, Ladispoli

Ladispoli

Ladispoli is a town and comune in the province of Rome, Lazio, central Italy.-History:Ladispoli occupies the area existed the ancient Alsium, the port of the Etruscan city of Cerveteri and later a Roman colony cited by Cicero....

, Province of Rome

Province of Rome

The Province of Rome , is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. The province can be viewed as the extended metropolitan area of the city of Rome, although in its more peripheral portions, especially to the north, it comprises towns surrounded by rural landscape.-Geography:The Province of Rome...

, Lazio, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

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The collection focuses on native orchid species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

. It began in 1984 with a donation of 10 Sardinia

Sardinia

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...

n species from the Orto Botanico dell'Università di Cagliari

Orto Botanico dell'Università di Cagliari

The Orto Botanico dell'Università di Cagliari , also known as the Orto Botanico di Cagliari, is a botanical garden operated by the University of Cagliari and located at Viale S. Ignazio da Laconi 9-11, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy....

, and currently contains about 350 specimens representing some 60 species from the genera Ophrys

Ophrys

The genus Ophrys is a large group of orchids from the alliance Orchis in the subtribe Orchidinae. There are many natural hybrids. The type species is Ophrys insectifera L.1753...

 and Orchis

Orchis

Orchis is a genus in the orchid family . This genus gets its name from the Ancient Greek ὄρχις orchis, meaning "testicle", from the appearance of the paired subterranean tuberoids....

, including Orchis palustris, Ophrys apulica, Ophrys lunulata

Ophrys lunulata

Ophrys lunulata is a species of orchid endemic to Sicily....

, and Ophrys ciliata, as well as Asphodeline lutea, Dactylorhiza romana

Dactylorhiza romana

The Roman Dactylorhiza is a species of orchid....

, Inula candida, Iris pseudopumila

Iris pseudopumila

Iris pseudo-pumila Tineo is a perennial with violet, purple, or yellow flowers, sometimes in combination. The beards are white, yellow, or bluish white....

, and Spiranthes aestivalis

Spiranthes aestivalis

Spiranthes aestivalis, commonly called the Summer Lady's-tresses, is a species of orchid....

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