The elder-flowered orchid – Dactylorhiza sambucina
is an herbaceous plant belonging to the family Orchidaceae. It is quite common and widespread throughout much of Europe from Portugal east to Finland and Ukraine. The flowers appear in spring and summer, in various colors from yellow to purple.

Dactylorhiza sambucina reaches on average 10–40 centimetres (3.9–15.7 in) inheight. These plants are bulbous geophytes with underground tubers or bulbs that annually produce new stems, leaves and flowers.

The leaves are amplexicaul and vary from 4 to 7 per plant. The lower leaves are oblong-obovate with obtuse apex, while the upper leaves are lanceolate with acute apex. Size of leaves: width 1 to 2.5 cm, length 6 – 12 cm.