264 Rhodora [NOVEMBER 
Andrews sent to the writer a single specimen, which was collected 
on Aug. 5, 1902. This had more the appearance of 77. lacera than 
of Z. psycodes, but showed unmistakable evidences of hybrid origin. 
About a year ago, among specimens from the herbarium of Mr. John 
A. Wheeler, the writer found a single example of this hybrid, 
provisionally determined as Æ. psycodes, which Miss L. O. Eaton 
collected in South Chesterville, Maine. ‘The flowers were quite inter- 
mediate in character, the petals and the deeply lacerate lip being 
indicative of the influences contributed by Æ. /acera. The plant 
has no date of collection, but it is interesting to note the fact that 
H. psycodes X lacera has been found in Maine. 
Natural hybrids do not seem to be common among New England 
orchids, but intensive study may bring more to light. Often the 
characters which designate hybridity are extremely elusive, and 
hybrids are classed arbitrarily with the species to which they bear 
the closest resemblance. As a general rule orchids which hybridize 
freely give rise to progeny of an intermediate character, but when 
specific lines are closely drawn, and based on traits phylogenetically 
young, parental differences may not stand out with sufficient dis- 
tinctness to attract special attention and so hybrids may well be 
overlooked. 
How far the principles laid down by Gregor Mendel apply to 
Orchidaceae can not be stated with surety, but among the generally 
cultivated exotic species non-Mendelian hybrids seem to prevail. 
However, among such variable species as Habenaria hyperborea, 
from which questionable segregations have been made it may be © 
probable that race-hybrids play an important part. Many of the 
H. hyperborea segegates are based on very slight variations in the 
vegetative and floral organs, on the relative proportions of the lip 
and spur, and on diffefences which can not be regarded as constant 
enough for critical determination. ‘That these characters are of 
slight varietal value and perhaps merely racial, may explain away 
some of Dr. P. A. Rydberg's recently described species as simple 
Mendelian race-hybrids and their derivatives, which illustrate the 
remarkable peculiarities of recession and dominance and the redis- 
tribution of traits. 
AMES BOTANICAL LABORATORY, North Easton, Massachusetts. 
EXPLANATION OF PLATE 47.— Two forms of Spiranthes X intermedia, 
hyb. nov. Fig. 1, lip of S. gracilis, Big. (X 3); Fig. 2, of S. X intermedia 
(X 3); Fig. 3, of S. praecox, Wats. (X 3.) 
