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.
MAY 2025: Interesting comments received from orchid enthusiast Frank Verhart, whose tireless researches have enriched our knowledge of orchids not only in Croatia but in many other countries as well. "I just read through your website on Ljiljana and Berislav's visit that yielded sighting of Ophrys pharia, which locality and photos are also stored in Flora Croatica Database, to which I am still contributing. Very good.
In addition to your presentation, there is another website with images of Ophrys pharia; https://www.ophrys-genus.be/croatia.htm
Some authors regard it a synonym of Ophrys apulica, which is primarily an Italian species, but Mirjana Jericevic has found some on Korcula; a few photos circulated this week in a Facebook-group from mainland Dalmatia. I do see differences with Ophrys apulica, but I cannot tell which status pharia deserves. I like best that if a bee orchid (gender Ophrys) has a unique pollinator, then it is a separate species.
It was interesting also to see that Him. robertianum is now known from Hvar. This orchid used to be strictly Mediterranean and has expanded since the 1950s In France it had therefore a limited range. In the course of the past 70 years however it has established itself in the entire country, although 80% of the observations are still in the Mediterranean zone of France. Currently this plant is also known in four countries: Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK; perhaps also Switzerland but I do not know that by heart.
I found yesterday that the oldest record of this species in Flora Croatica Database is from 1985 from the island of Brac; page 104; https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/234758
Apparently, earlier botantists have not seen this plant in Croatia, which is rather surprising, and I might (better late than never) learn or understand that this plant was not known in the years that we ourselves were born.
Last month I was exploring in Montenegro... In relation to Him. robertianum, I encountered this species, albeit a single faded specimen and a few vegetative plants, in Montenegro. I am in touch with prof. Danijela (Stesevic), who confirmed to me that this plant is not on the list of native flora of Montenegro, and who took some seed plods from the plant, to add it to the seed bank of the University of Montenegro in Podgorica.
In Croatia I found Neotinea maculata in planted forest on the shore of Karinsko More (North-Dalmatia). This species was one of my first exciting finds in Croatia, in Park Suma Musapstan. Exciting, because at that time it filled a 200 km grap in the Croatian known distribution, which was so far S-M Dalmatia and Kvarner islands. Also here the excitement extended to Montenegro, where as far as I know Neotinea maculata was published once in the 19th century and three times after 2015; I have localized this species in four Montenegran municipalities, including a site somewhat further from the coast: 40 km. In Croatia this plant grows (almost) always) within several kilometers from the coast. And this is not caused by the limited broadness of Dalmatia, for in the hinterland in Bosnia it appears to have only one known locality.
Assuming it is of interest, I share a link to highlights from Montenegro this spring, on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1435119153462796/posts/3547190052255685/" By email, 26th May 2025.
