Experimental introductions of the heath spotted and early marsh orchids into a restored ecosystem in Switzerland

Summary

The heath spotted orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata) and early marsh orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata), both protected under Swiss law and CITES Appendix II, were introduced to L'Etang de la Creule, an artificial wetland built in 1993-1994 to manage motorway runoff near Courgenay, Switzerland, which had already spontaneously attracted over 150 plant species within 15 years. The Swiss Orchid Foundation and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew collaborated on the project: seed capsules were hand-collected under permit from nearby wild populations between 1999 and 2001 using artificial pollination to avoid depleting source plants, then shipped to Kew under CITES permit for surface sterilization and asymbiotic in vitro germination, deliberately avoiding symbiotic fungi to prevent introducing non-native species across borders. Seedlings were grown on for roughly three years, transported to Switzerland as hand luggage once large enough, and potted into calcareous soil matched to the destination site; by the third year in pots, half the plants had flowered. In June 2005, 15 pots of each species were planted at L'Etang de la Creule already in flower or seed. The following year, 70-90% of plants produced new leaves and flowers after winter dormancy, and by spring 2008 many young plantlets of both species were observed, some flowering for the first time, confirming natural regeneration had begun. Major difficulties included CITES permit costs, unreliable postal transport of live plants, and disturbance risk from birds and animals. The project rates itself Successful, citing successful transfer, survival and reproduction of both orchid species in the man-made habitat.