1Rbo6ora 



JOURNAL OF 



THE NEW ENGLAND BOTANICAL CLUB 



Vol. 8. January, 1906. No. 85. 



HABENARIA ORBICUrATA AND H. MACROPHYLLA. 



()akp:s Ames. 



For several years I have ohserveil diirinj:^ my studies of Ilabenaria 

 orbiculata, Torr., that the species as at ])resetit understood includes 

 two very distinct forms, one characterized by a short, the other by a 

 long, spur. Attention was first drawn to this difference by Mr. J. H. 

 Schuette who sent me a specimen of the short-spurred form collected 

 near Mink River in Door (bounty, Wisconsin. Mr. Schuette regarded 

 the Mink River plant as varietally distinct from Ilabenaria orbiculata, 

 Torr., and requested that a descrijjtion of it be published. At that 

 time it was impossible to decide which form answered to the original 

 description of Ilabenaria orbiculata, which Pursh had published under 

 Orchis in his Flora of North .\inerica. Furthermore it became evi- 

 dent that if Pursh had described the short-spurred form, then the long- 

 spurred form would be the Ilabenaria viarrophjjlla of Goldie that led 

 to an interesting botanical controversy between W. J. Hooker and Dr. 

 John Torrey many years ago, and that was unfortunately relegated 

 to the rank of a synonym under //. orbiridata. 



11. macrophijlla was collected in Canada by Goldie and sent to 

 Hooker with the following note "Orchis — This beautiful plant I 

 found in shady woods Island of Montreal, ap|)roaches nearest to O. 

 orbiculata of Pursh, of which I have not sent a specimen. However, 

 that is very different — 



"This species differs from O. orbiculata in being always 3 or 4 times 

 larger, leaves more elliptic &c. in a living state, more thin and lucid, 

 bracteas much shorter. The fi. are large & white — very rare. 



"I have only seen a very few plants of it. I have one or two roots 



