The effects of herbivory and vegetation on laboratory-raised Dactylorhiza praetermissa (Orchidaceae) planted into grassland in Southern England Original Research Article

Symbiotically-propagated seedlings of the southern marsh orchid Dactylorhiza praetermissa were planted into a meadow at Wakehurst Place, Southern England and followed for 30 months. Most mortality in the first growing season could be attributed to either mammals or pheasants. Fencing was effective in eliminating herbivory by mammals. Application of molluscicide did not always prevent mollusc grazing. No seedlings survived the first winter in areas dominated by dense Juncus articulatus. The majority of the remaining plants flowered or produced a second rosette of leaves within three years of planting. The practical implications of these results in the introduction of D. praetermissa and other orchids to natural vegetation are discussed.