Is this a very rare Musk Orchid?

[Spriddler]

Found a couple of clumps of these in remote and rough ancient pasture beside a chalk pit on the South Downs today. About 12 to 15cm high. 5 or 6 flowers growing from single unbranching stems. Each flower had a 'mouth' rather like an antirrhinum flower with a long pointed 'chin'. Never seen them before in all my 40 years of walking and plant identification on the South Downs.
The nearest I can find in my Keble-Martin 'Concise British Flora' and Roger Philips 'Wild Flowers of Britain' identification guides is the apparently very rare Musk Orchid (Herminium Monarchis). However, they are listed as flowering in June - July although these did seem to be at the end of their flowering period as there were old flowers running to seed on the same stem below them.

 

[CWH]

Would you agree it's this one?

 

[Allanm]

They do look a bit like a Musk Orchid, did you get any photos of the base of the stem.?

 

[CWH]

Another pic

 

[CWH]

If you think I'm right then sorry but it's yellow toadflax (linaria)

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[MikeD]

I would go for a "Snapdragon" - Antirrhinum Latifolium or as @CWH says Yellow Toadflax - Linaria Vulgara.

The flowers don't look right for a Musk Orchid. Do you have any pictures of the leaves?

 

[Spriddler]

Yes, @CWH @MikeD that's the one! Common/Yellow Toadflax. Flowers June to Aug. I saw it yesterday and just had to return today with my camera. I'm happy just to have it identified. Strange that I've not seen it (or I can't remember seeing it) before. I can relax now!
Hi @Allanm Thanks for replying. No, I didn't photograph the stem. I should have but I only have one useable hand with which to hold the camera and didn't like to push the ground cover aside with my foot.

My brain gets a bit overloaded/befuddled when trawling through page after page of illustrations and photos in my reference sources. Many look so similar and some plants/species have such tiny i.d. differences!

 

[MikeD]

Many look so similar and some plants/species have such tiny i.d. differences!

Especially with Orchids they happily cross pollinate with lots of other Orchids so you get many variations/colours/shapes etc.

They are found in your part of the UK and can flower in August. I suspect especially this year with the odd weather we have been having.

They are here if you want to see some - https://beptondown.org/what-to-see-on-bepton-down/other-chalk-downland-orchids/musk-orchid/

 

[Puddleduck]

Wildflowerfinder,org.uk has this as a Musk Orchid.

 

[CWH]

Strange that I've not seen it (or I can't remember seeing it) before.

I think there are loads of flowers, insects, birds & animals in all sorts of places they haven't been before!

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[Spriddler]

I think there are loads of flowers, insects, birds & animals in all sorts of places they haven't been before!

Quite so. During the past ten years Buzzards have become very common in Sussex whereas 15 or 20 years ago I only ever saw them when on holiday in the South West during (usually very wet) Cornish family camping hols!
Lately my garden hedgehog family seem not to have hibernated.

 

[hilldweller]

Definitely a Musk.

It was supposed to be 125 feet tall and cover the entire south of England and go on sale at 35p.

 

[Allanm]

Definitely a Musk.

It was supposed to be 125 feet tall and cover the entire south of England and go on sale at 35p.

Wasn't that a Triffid?

 

[Spriddler]

I photographed this in a Falmouth car park. According to a couple of articles in the 'West Briton' newspaper, various species of pet escapes are breeding and flourishing in the S West.

 

[hilldweller]

Wasn't that a Triffid?

Oh boy, Musk a Triffid. Gromett could not cope with that.

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