1906] Ames, Habenaria orbiculata and H. macrophylla 3 



preceding plant (//. Ilookeri) was by myself, as well as by other bot- 

 anists, both in America and in Europe, mistaken for it. From collat- 

 eral evidence, however, Drs. Torrey and Gray were led to consider the 

 present as the true orbiculata; and the correctness of their ideas has 

 been confirmed by the latter botanist, on his recent examination of the 

 original Purshian Herbarium, in Mr. Lambert's possession." 



From the preceding remarks it will be clear that H. macrophylla 

 was permitted to pass into synonymy because the identity of H. orbi- 

 culata had been obscured by confusion with H. Hookeri, a related but 

 most distinct species, and because a thorough comparison of H. ma- 

 crophylla with the Pursh plants of II. orbiculata was not made. That 

 H. orbiculata and H. macrophylla are distinguishable is in a measure 

 proved by John Lindley's treatment of these species — which he placed 

 under Platanthera — in Genera and Species of Orchidaceous Plants. 

 On page 286 he brought together three species which seem clearly 

 referable to what for convenience we may designate the orbiculata 

 group. These species are //. Ilookeri, II. orbiculata and Platanthera 

 Menziesii. Of these we may neglect the first as its identity is unques- 

 tionable. The second is characterized in part by having the spur 

 twice longer than the ovary, and in the synonymy which accompanies 

 it we find //. mncrophylla. The third, collected by Menzies on the 

 west coast of North America — a species which does not appear in 

 our manuals of botany, and which has remained in obscurity — is 

 characterized by having a spur subequal with the ovary. This third 

 species Kriinzlin in his Genera et Species Orchidacearum, has unwit- 

 tingly confused with //. elegan.^, Bolander, as to description and as 

 to the Californlan plant which he has cited as no. 6252, Bolander. 



The inadequacy of T.indley's original description, and Kriinzlin's 

 discrepancies made desirabl(> a more intimate knowledge of the type 

 specimen. A photograph obtained at Kew by Dr. Robinson made 

 this possible and proved conclusively that Platanthera Menziesii is 

 the short-spurred form of Habenaria orbiculata. Subsequently I 

 examined the type and also several sheets of specimens which Menzies 

 had collected, and satisfied myself that the conclusions which I had 

 drawn from a study of the photograph communicated by Dr. Robinson 

 were correct. Lindley, then, on the supposition that the long-spurred 

 form representative of Goldie's //. macrophylla was conspecific with 

 the Pursh type of II. orbiculata, had considered the short-spurred 

 form a distinct species. Having arrived at this point, it became ab- 



