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which accompanied the present specimen on the 4th of Ja- 

 nuary last : " Orchis long'ibracteata is one of the rarest species 

 " found in Sicily, nor had I ever met with it in six years 

 residence on that island, until it was pointed out to me 

 by my friend Bivona Bernard i, growing on a rich soil be- 

 " hind the convent of St. Francesco di Paola, near Pa- 

 lermo, the only spot he had ever found it on. In its na- 

 tive place it is the first that flowers among the many little 

 known species found in Sicily, generally opening its blos- 

 soms in the beginning of February, the depth of a Medi- 

 terranean winter. The present plant was not taken into 

 the greenhouse, from the open air, until after one or two 

 of its flowers had expanded. This circumstance, as well 

 as others convince me that we should find the (southern) 

 " Orchidk/e much less difficult to cultivate, were they 

 " treated for the most part in a more hardy manner. Nearly 

 ** thirty roots of species belonging to this tribe, brought 

 " three years ago from the Mediterranean, are now growing 

 " in my garden, under a common frame, as vigorously as 

 " in their native climate." 



The following description is the version of that in the 

 first " Cent aria sicularam plant a rum,*'' above quoted. 



Bulbs two, roundish. Scape cylindrical, subflexuose, 

 sheathed by the lower parts of the ovate or oblongty lanceo- 

 late leaves, which are streaked and shining, especially on 

 the upper side. Flowers large, with a rank smell; in a 

 pyramidal closeset spike. Petals converging so as to form 

 a casque, rose-purple with green nerves on the outside, 

 whitish green prettily marked with red dots on the inside: 

 the two inner ones narrower than the exterior ones, herba- 

 ceous. Label variously marked with white and purple, 

 trifid, middle segment longer than the others, two-lobed, 

 with an interior very short lateral appendage, sometimes 

 with none; lateral segments undulated on the outside at 

 the edge: spar shorter than the three-cornered twisted ger- 

 nien. Column short, obtuse at the summit. Bracies green, 

 lanceolate, overtopping the casque of the corolla. 



We had no opportunity of inspecting the flower for de- 

 scription after the drawing was made. 



There is an Orchis deposited in the Banksian Herba- 

 rium, by the title offoliosa, collected by Mr. Masson in the 

 Island of Madeira, and which, we have little doubt, is of 

 the same species with the present. 



