178 SPIRANTHES CERNUA. DROOPING-FLOWERED LADIES' TRACES. 



Among our American genera there are two, besides Spiran- 

 t/ies, which belong to the tribe Neottecr, namely, Goodya'-a and 

 Listera, Spiranthes being intermediate between them. All the 

 species of the genus Spiranthes have a callous protuberance 

 at the base on each side of the lip, while those of the other two 

 genera have none; Listera has all the sepals and petals spreading, 

 and thus differs from its fellows, the petals of the latter being 

 so arranged as to be ringent (or gaping) at the base. Many 

 other peculiarities of more or less importance might be pointed 

 out as characteristic of the different genera, but it is hardly 

 necessary to do this, as there is seldom any difficulty in deter- 

 mining the genus of these plants from their general appearance. 

 The species, on the contrary, are very difficult of determination, 

 as there are many varieties of each, which, by their great ap- 

 parent differences, are calculated to puzzle the student. Of 

 S. cernua, for instance, according to Dr. Gray, the commoner 

 form has pure white, sweet-scented flowers, grows in wet places, 

 and often loses nearly all its root-leaves at flowering-time, while 

 one variety grows in dry ground, has greenish, cream-colored, 

 stronger-scented flowers, and retains its root-leaves. 



The old name Neottia is Greek for bird's nest, and was 

 given to our plants, says an old writer, " because the plaiting of 

 the roots one among another resembled a crow's nest." Spiran- 

 thes is also from the Greek, speira meaning a spiral or coil, and 

 anthos a flower, and seems to have been suggested by the appar- 

 ently twisted arrangement of the flowers, which strikes every 

 observer. The old English name was " Ladies' Traces," from 

 the resemblance of the twisted spikes to the silken cords or 

 laces, formerly called " traces," with which fair dames used to 

 gird themselves and fasten their various articles of dress before 

 hooks and eyes, buttons, pins, and the like were invented. The 

 word has become almost obsolete in this connection now, being 

 applied only to the cords or ropes by which horses are attached 

 to the plough, or to the leather straps of more pretentious har- 

 ness. The original meaning of the word having thus been 



