WiEGAND : A Revision of the Gen'us Listera 159 



confusion has arisen in regard to the type, although there are a few 

 cases of error, the most notable of which were those of Bigelow, 

 who mistook this species for L. coivallarioidcs^ and of Nuttall in 

 confusing it with Z. australis then unrecognized. As to the type 

 of this species there can be little doubt. 



Another plant closely related to the above is the L, aKStralis of 

 the Southern States, which is distinguished principally b\' the ab- 

 sence of lateral teeth at the base of the lip. By the earlier botan- 

 ists it was confused with the more northern L, cordata^ but was 

 early recognized as distinct by Lindley and Hooker. Previously 

 Elliott had confused it with L. coiivaUarioidcs^ for which reason 

 Hooker ventured the manuscript name Z. ElUotti, There is in 

 this species a typical case of the extreme local distribution of many 

 orchids. The main distribution of Z. australis is along the south- 

 ern Atlantic coast northward to the Pennsylvania line, but in 1877 

 Wibbe "^ found it in a swamp near the eastern end of Lake On- 

 tario. Since that time it has been found in several other deep 

 sphagnous swamps in the same region. Between these swamps 

 and the next station toward the south lie at least two hundred 

 and fifty miles. The relation of this species to the Oswego flora 

 has been discussed by Professor Rowlee f and needs no further 

 mention here. Dr. Mellichamp ;|; thinks that in some cases, at 

 least, Z. australis may be semi-parasitic on the rootstocks of Os- 



t 



Diiiuda cinnamomca. The writer has not had an opportunity to 

 investigate this point. 



The Listcra ovata of Europe is of the australis type although 

 quite different in general appearance, and is the largest of all exist- 

 ing species o{ Listcra, It was recognized by Linneus but under the 

 generic name OpJirys^ and later, t( 

 the basis of Brown's characterization of the genus Listcra. 



The one species of all others which has led to so much con- 

 fusion is the Epipactis convallarioidcs of Swartz. It is, indeed, 

 true that the original description is quite brief and docs not seem to 

 accurately describe any known American plant. There is one, how- 

 ever, with which it agrees better than with the others, and which from 



*Bull. Torr. ]5ot. Club, 6: 192. 1877. 

 •(■American Naturalist, 31 : 798. 1898. 

 J Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, 8: 47.. 1881. 



