Easily misidentified with : Common Spotted-Orchid which also has basal spotted leaves, but the markings on the central lip and two side lobes (lateral sepals) form two almost continuous loops, whereas they are broken and very discontinuous on Heath Spotted-Orchid.

The spurs behind the flowers (if you can see them, they are mainly well hidden behind the flowers) are slim and straight. All-white flowers are not un-common, nor heavily-marked ones.

Another sub-species exists, the dwarf Dactylorhiza maculata ssp. hebridensus which has much fewer flowers.

Often hybridizes with : Common Spotted-Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) to produce Dactylorhiza × transiens but also hybridizes with several other Dactylorhiza species such as Southern Marsh-Orchid Dactylorhiza praetermissa,Northern Marsh-Orchid Dactylorhiza purpurella and Early Marsh-Orchid Dactylorhiza incarnata the resulting hybrids of which also have fairly extensive populations in various parts of the UK.

In the Outer Hebrides, dwarf plants of Heath Spotted-Orchid can be mistaken for dwarf species of Common Spotted-Orchid.

Distinguishing Feature :

The 'spotted' in the name refers to the spots on the leaves, rather than any on the flowers themselves. It grows in the acid soils of heaths, moors and bogs. In the north of England Heath Spotted-Orchid flowers two weeks later than the similar Common Spotted-Orchid, but vice versa in the south of England.

After pollination, the quantity of seed-set is high.

The stems are hollow which can be tested by a gentle squeeze.