European regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)

Dactylorhiza viridis is local and rather rare on most of the places where it occurs. The population is declining. However, the species is widespread, is of Least Concern in some countries, and it is unlikely that the existing threats are causing the population to decline severely in the near future. Therefore, Dactylorhiza viridis is assessed as Least Concern.

Dactylorhiza viridis has a circumpolar distribution and is found in Europe, Asia and North America. This species is restricted to the temperate regions but extends north to Iceland, the Faroe Islands, northernmost Scandinavia and Alaska, it ranges furthest south to the mountains in Spain, Italy, Greece, Crimea and Caucasus. The Frog Orchid is widely distributed in Britain and Ireland. This species can be found up to 2,900 m altitude (Bournérias and Prat 2005, Harrap and Harrap 2009, Delforge 1995, Lang 2004).

Dactylorhiza viridis is not widespread and rather rare. The population size is declining  (Bournérias and Prat 2005, Harrap and Harrap 2009, Delforge 1995, Lang 2004).

Dactylorhiza viridis grows in well-drained short grassland, fens, mountain pastures, woodland fringes, slopes of ancient earthworks, abandoned quarries, lime pits, rocky ledges, road verges, coastal grassland and open woodland. It is also found in damp or wet permanent pastures and meadows. It occurs on acidic or alkaline, dry to dump soils, in full sunlight to semi-shade. The flowering takes place from early June to early August (Bournérias and Prat 2005, Harrap and Harrap 2009, Delforge 1995, Lang 2004).

Dactylorhiza viridis has declined throughout its range especially where the ploughing-up of old pastures on neutral or chalky boulder-clay soils takes place and the development of scrub and rank vegetation on short grassland. The habitat of the species is also submitted to numerous threats including grazing, drainage, agricultural use of the habitat, urbanisation and plant collection (Bournérias and Prat 2005, Harrap and Harrap 2009, Delforge 1995, Lang 2004).

The bulb is very nutritious when cooked. It is a source of 'salep', a fine white to yellowish-white powder that is obtained by drying the tuber and grinding it into a powder. Salep is a starch-like substance which can be made into a drink, added to cereals or to bread. It can be prepared in the same way as arrowroot. A jelly can be made from the salep which is used to treat irritations of the gastro-intestinal canal (Plants For a Future 2010).

All orchids are included under Annex B of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Dactylorhiza viridis is a protected plant in some countries including Belgium, Luxembourg, Britain and in some regions of France. 

• Regionally Extinct in Denmark (NERI 2007)
  
• Critically Endangered in Luxembourg (Colling 2005)
  
• Endangered in Czech Republic (Holub and Procházka 2000) and Estonia (Lilleleht 2008)
  
• Vulnerable in Bulgaria (Petrova and Vladimirov 2009), Germany (Ludwig and Schnittler 1996), Hungary (Király 2007), and the United Kingdom (Cheffings and Farrell 2005)
  
• Near Threatened in France (UICN France et al. 2010)
  
• Least Concern in Norway (Artsdatabanken 2010) and Switzerland (Moser et al. 2002)
  

The following actions are recommended to protect Dactylorhiza viridis;

• An appropriate level of grazing of favoured grassland.
• Water regime must be ensured, drainage of meadows should be avoided.
• Protection of the living individuals through legislation and legal protection which ban the species from being picked or dug up.
• Ex situ conservation: Artificial propagation, re-introduction, seed collections.
• Monitoring and surveillance of the existing populations and sites.
• Estimate the population size and study their dynamics.

(Bournérias and Prat 2005, Harrap and Harrap 2009, Delforge 1995, Lang 2004).