1921 



Wherry, — Soil Reactions of Spiranthes cernua 



129 



Habitat 

 Soil reaction 



Blooming time 



Plant habit 



Flowers : 

 arrange :nent 



color 



size 

 fragrance 



lip 

 Roots 



bPIRANTHES ODORATA 



Tidal marsh, with Zizania, 

 Peltandra, Bidens, etc. 



Subacid, the decomposing 

 vegetation being partially 

 neutralized by calcareous 

 river water. 



Mid-September. 



Up to one meter tall, with 

 large, prominent leaves. 



In regular, slightly spiralled 



rows. 

 Dull yellowish white. 



Up to 12 mm. long. 



Extremely strong, a single 

 spike scenting a large room. 



Somewhat contracted in mid- 

 dle, and with prominent 

 incurved callosities. 



Cord-like, tough, 8-20 cm. 

 long, mostly tipped with a 

 shoot which forms a new 

 plant the following season 

 (stolons). 



Spiranthes cernua 



Meadows, with sphagnum, 

 Pogonia ophioglossoiles, 

 Gentiana saponaria, etc. 



Mediacid or less commonly 

 subacid, as in typical 

 sphagnum bogs and mead- 

 ows. 



Late September to late Oc- 

 tober. 



About 3 decimeters tall, with 

 small, inconspicuous leaves. 



In rather irregular rows. 



White with slight creamy 



tinge. 

 Around 8 mm. long. 

 So faint as to be detected 



only with difficulty. 

 Not contracted in middle, 



and with rather small, 



little-curved callosities. 

 Fleshy, weak, 2-8 cm. long, 



not observed to possess 



terminal shoots. 



Jersey (where typical S. odorata is unknown), but critical examination 

 indicates it to be merely unusually luxuriant S. cernua var. ochro- 

 leuca. A protest is therefore here raised against the reduction of our 

 magnificent fragrant "ladies-tresses" to mere varietal rank. 

 Washington, D. C. 



