Family: orchids (Orchidaceae)
Flowering time: May–June
Size: 15–40 cm
Habitat: wet and marshy meadows, low bogs
Majska prstasta kukavica (Dactylorhiza majalis) is a fairly stocky plant. Its stem is hollow just below the inflorescence and about 5 mm wide. It is leafy with four to six side-protruding stem leaves, which are speckled with dark spots and widest at the base of the leaf blade. The upper leaves extend into a dense cylindrical inflorescence, composed of numerous scarlet-red flowers. The labellum of the flower is 9 to 13 mm wide and decorated with a darker pattern. The bracts of the flowers are usually reddish; the lower ones are longer than the flowers, toward the top of the inflorescence they become smaller and at its tip are barely as long as the flowers. Majska prstasta kukavica grows only on moist barren soils in sunny locations.
As a vulnerable species, it is listed on the Red List of endangered plants of Slovenia, as it occurs in habitats that are very sensitive to changes.
