262 Rhodora [NOVEMBER 
made because of the seasonal differences in anthesis in several of 
the Spiranthes species in their northern and southern habitats, and 
because of segregates from S. praecox, which have been described 
recently. 
Although the range of variation in most of our Spiranthes is aston- 
ishingly extensive, it would be difficult to account for the peculiarities 
of the Easton plants on any supposition other than hybridity. Some 
among these were much like .S. gracilis, but the leaves, the pubes- 
cence, and the narrow hyaline margins of the floral bracts were decid- 
edly similar to S. praecox. Of the plants resembling S. praecox in 
their inflorescence the broad, elliptic-lanceolate leaves and the green 
callosities near the base of the oblong lip were conclusive evidence 
of an unusual origin and constitution. 
The leaves of the hybrids varied in form and in dimensions; they 
rarely attained the average length of S. praecox leaves, and were not 
as short as those of S. gracilis. However, they proved to be interme- 
diate in varying degrees. 
The pubescence of the scape, rhachis and capsules was distributed 
much in the same way as in S. praecox, but was decidedly shorter, 
less dense, and in some forms quite obscure. In fact the tendency 
toward glabrity in one parent and the tendency toward pubescence 
in the other produced a mean in the hybrids, an interesting consid- 
eration when contrasted with the dominant and recessive characters 
peculiar to Mendelian race-hybrids. 
Several specimens with a distinctively S. gracilis aspect produced 
flowers which never expanded, and in one specimen which resembled 
S. praecox the same tendency, though less marked, was noted. 
The flowers were variable in length, but for the most part inter- 
mediate in this respect. They were not so white as in S. gracilis nor 
so yellow as in the typical S. praecox of the region where the hybrids 
were found. The coloring of the lip was distinctive; yellow-green 
at the apical, greenish near the proximal end; the callosities or nip- 
ples were green at their base with a whitish apex. As far as observed 
the color of the callosities was decisive in the determination of the 
hybrids. 
SPIRANTHES X intermedia, hyb. nov. Plants 27—42 cm. tall, 
slender; tubers about 7 cm. long, 6 mm. thick near the base; leaves 
lance-linear or elliptic-lanceolate, 4.5-8.5 cm. long, 8-15 mm. wide, 
passing into slender petioles; cauline bracts lance-linear, pointed ; 
scape pubescent above, pubescence short, rather dense or sometimes 
