Lizard orchid

Himantoglossum hircinum

In other languages: Bokkenorchis (Nederlands) · Orchis bouc (Français)

Grows wild in Belgium.

The lizard orchid is a striking native orchid 30–80 cm tall, with a long spike of greyish-green flowers spotted with purple and an exceptionally long, twisted lip. It grows on sunny, dry, chalky grassland, slopes, verges, dykes and in old dunes. In Belgium it is rare: you find it mainly in the south of the country, and in recent decades it has also turned up at a few sites in Flanders. You recognise it by its lip, up to 5 cm long, which hangs down and curls like a ribbon or a little lizard’s tail, and by the strong goat-like smell of the flowers. Like all wild orchids it is protected by law, and where it grows it is the jewel of a flower-rich chalk grassland.

Caution: Protected species: like all wild orchids in Belgium, the lizard orchid must not be picked or dug up. Only buy plants raised from seed by a specialist nursery. Dug-up wild plants almost always die anyway.

Updated on 9 October 2026

Light
Full sun
warm and bright
Moisture
Dry
tolerates drought
Hardiness
down to -18 °C
protect young plants
Size
0.6 m
tall, 0.2 m wide
Flowering
May–July

Key facts
Pruning months	August
Height	0.6 m
Native to Belgium	Yes
Flowering	May–July

Identify

How to recognise it

Habit: Perennial tuberous plant with a straight, sturdy flowering stem of 30–80 cm.
Leaf: Broad, oblong, greyish-green leaves in a rosette that appears in autumn and lasts through the winter; by flowering time they have often withered.
Flower: Long, loose spike of dozens of flowers, from May to July. Each flower has a greyish-green hood streaked with purple and a lip up to 5 cm long, coiled like a spring in the bud, which then unrolls into a twisted ribbon with a forked tip; the lip is white to brownish-green with purple spots.
Scent: Strong, unpleasant goat-like smell, especially on warm days.
Roots: Two egg-shaped tubers; like all orchids, the plant lives in partnership with a soil fungus.
Confused with: No other native orchid has such a long, twisted lip. Non-flowering rosettes look like those of other orchids: wait for the flowers and leave the plant alone.

Flowering: May–July · Pruning: August

In your garden

Why grow it?

One of the most spectacular orchids of our region, with one of the longest lips of any native orchid.
The flowers are pollinated by wild bees, especially mining bees, which are drawn by the scent.
A characteristic species of valuable, nutrient-poor chalk grassland: where it grows, other rare plants often grow too.
In recent decades it has been spreading northwards in western Europe, so you sometimes see it in unexpected places, such as dykes or verges.
A fine example of what late, wildlife-friendly mowing of verges and dykes can achieve.

Lizard orchid: where does it grow best?

In the wild: sunny, dry, chalky grassland, slopes, verges, dykes, railway banks and old dunes.
Full sun and warm, open sites with low, sparse vegetation.
Dry, free-draining, limy soil that is poor in nutrients.
In the garden: only in a true chalky, nutrient-poor grassland or a rock garden on a sunny slope, and even then success is uncertain.

Goes well with

Pyramidal orchid: Pink orchid of the same sunny chalk grassland.
Salad burnet: Low, lime-loving plant that keeps the grassland open.
Wild marjoram: Purple flowers for butterflies on the same dry, chalky soil.
Common rock-rose: Low, yellow flowers of nutrient-poor chalk grassland.
Cowslip: Yellow spring flower that also loves poor, chalky grassland.

Maintenance

Lizard orchid: when and how to plant it?

Only buy plants raised from seed by a specialist nursery, with proof of origin; such plants are scarce and need patience.
Never dig up plants or tubers from the wild and never pick the flowers: it is illegal, and dug-up orchids almost always die.
Plant in autumn, when the rosette appears, in limy, poor, free-draining soil in full sun.
Plant at the same depth as in the pot, firm lightly and only water if the soil dries out completely.
Sowing is almost impossible for gardeners: the dust-like seed only germinates with a soil fungus and is raised in laboratories.
If you really want to help the species, support conservation groups that manage chalk grassland and report sightings to a natural history society.

Care

Water: Not needed; too much moisture rots the tubers.
Feeding: Never: fertiliser makes the grass too strong, and that crowds out the orchid.
Mowing: Mow the grassland in late August, after seed set and before the new rosettes appear, and remove the cuttings.
Competition: Keep the grassland short and open; rank grasses and invading shrubs smother it.
Peace and quiet: Leave the spot undisturbed: no digging, no trampling and no fallen leaves left on the rosettes.

Tip: To see a lizard orchid, visit a protected chalk grassland on a warm day in June and stay on the paths: you often smell it before you see it.

Pruning and mowing

Pruning months: August.

When: Late August, after seed set.

How:

Leave the flowering stem until the seed is ripe and has blown out of the capsules.
Mow the surrounding grassland to 5–10 cm and remove the cuttings.
Spare the winter rosettes that appear from autumn: do not mow after early September.

Caution: Never pick the flowers: without seed set the plant eventually disappears.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed: Each capsule holds thousands of dust-fine seeds, carried by the wind, which only germinate with the right soil fungus. Propagation is done in specialist laboratories; from germination to flowering takes years.
Tubers: Each year the plant forms a new tuber. Digging it up or dividing it yourself is not advisable and is illegal in the wild.

Lizard orchid: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −18 °C: protect young plants.

In autumn a rosette of broad, greyish-green leaves appears, which stays green all winter.
This makes it sensitive to severe, prolonged frost; mild winters seem to help it.
Below ground the tuber overwinters, holding the reserves for next year’s flowers.

Diseases and pests

Scrubbing over: Without mowing or grazing, chalk grassland fills up with tall grasses and shrubs. Mow every year in late August and remove the cuttings.
Picking and digging: Flowers get picked and plants dug up. Be careful whom you tell where it grows and leave the site in peace.
Slugs: Slugs eat the young rosettes and flower buds. An open, dry site helps; do not use poison.
Hard frost: Long spells of hard frost damage the winter rosette. There is little you can do; a sheltered, sunny slope helps.

Through the year

January: The winter rosette is green; leave the spot undisturbed.
March: The rosette keeps growing; no feeding, no work.
April: The flowering stem appears; watch out for slugs.
May: First flowers; the long lips unroll.
June: Full flower; on a warm day you can smell the goat-like scent.
July: Last flowers; the capsules swell.
August: Seed ripe; mow in late August and remove the cuttings.
October: New rosettes appear.
December: Rest; the rosette overwinters.

You and this species

Did you know?

Hircinum comes from the Latin hircus, billy goat: the flowers smell of goat.
Himantoglossum means ‘strap tongue’, after the long, ribbon-like lip. In English it is called lizard orchid because the flower, with its long lip, looks like a little lizard.
In the bud the lip is coiled like a watch spring; when the flower opens, it slowly unrolls.

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