PLATANTHERA FIMBRIATA. GREAT FRINGED ORCHIS. 9 1 



the " Great Fringed Orchis," and by no other name that we are 

 aware of. 



There are many interesting features in a study of this species. 

 The long slender spur which we have endeavored to show in 

 Fig. 6 is characteristic of many species of the genus, and su<^- 

 gested the name Habcnaria, from habena, which is Latin for the 

 round leather leash of a whip, or part of the reins or harness 

 of a horse. Platanfhcra, the generic name, is from the Greek, 

 signifying " broad anthers," from the divergent cells of the an- 

 thers, as seen in Figs. 4 and 5. The insectiform look of the flower 

 (^^S- 5) is very Interesting; but the most striking feature is seen In 

 the two eyes of a moth or butterfly, which are suggested by the 

 divergent anthcr-cclls. The petals also are peculiarly interesting 

 from their great dissimilarity. The Orchid flower is formed on 

 a ternary type. The lower verticil Is composed of a whorl of 

 three sepals, and the upper of three transformed leaves or petals. 

 In our Great Fringed Orchis we see that two of the sepals 

 are nearly equal and opposite to each other, while the third of 

 the series is at right angles with them, and smaller, as we see 

 through the two upper petals. But the three petals, or upper 

 leaves, are still more unequal than the three lower, or sepals; 

 and we see that they have been twisted so that the two conform- 

 ing ones are on the top, while the more Isolated one takes the 

 lower place, and becomes the " lip." In Its Isolation it has, how- 

 ever, become the largest instead of the smallest, as is the case 

 with the odd one in the lower series, and has so divided Itself 

 that It appears as if made of three distinct leaves or petals, and 

 each of these lobes, with Its fringed edgings, seems to have a 

 separate existence of its own. The form of the Orchid flowers 

 Is so much out of the usual course of nature in flowers, as some- 

 times to be thought diflicult to study, but if we get down to the 

 foundations of the structure, and understand the plan on which 

 the flowers arc built, few will be found that are easier. In order 

 that the student may still better perceive the ternary plan on 

 which this Orchid is formed, we give In Fig. 3 a cross section of 



