Red Helleborine – Cephalanthera rubra
is an orchid found in Europe, North Africa and southwest Asia. Although reasonably common in parts of its range, this Cephalanthera has always been one of the rarest orchids in Britain. The Red Helleborine is found throughout most of Europe, east to the Urals and as far as 60 degrees north. It is however rare in Britain, the Low Countries and western France. It also occurs in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia and in various parts of southern Asia as far east as Iran.

Red Helleborine is a very rare plant in Britain. It is found only at the following sites: The Red Helleborine flowers from May to July. The flowers on this page were photographed in Slovenia in mid-June, when there were large numbers of plants on a shaded roadside verge and – as if this were not surprising enough – they were growing alongside numerous Bird’s-nest Orchids Neottia nidus-avis, Dark-red Helleborines Epipactis atrorubens and Lesser Butterfly-orchids Platanthera bifolia.