1885.] NOTES ON BRITISH ORCHIDS. 181 



destroy the vitality of the tuber by boring or eating into it beneath 

 the bud. 



Under these circumstances, and more especially if the garden soil 

 is not equally good with that introduced, I have found it advisable 

 to carefully divest the root of all soil, and plant in the place 

 intended with a good dash of sand thrown under and around the 

 tuber. 



JI. alhida (small Habenaria). — Root composed of several clustered tapering 

 fibres, occasionally uniting into a deei)ly-dividetl tuber. Stem about half a foot 

 in height, with a dense, cylindrical spike of many small, creamy-white flowers. 

 Leaves lanceolate, light green, glaucous Ijenetith, the lower ones broadest, and 

 rounded at the ^loint. Lip three-lobed, the middle one l:)eing largest, and of the 

 same length as the concave sepals. 



A sweet little plant, but one that has baffled my best attempts 

 to successfully cultivate. It is usually found growing amongst short 

 grass, on the drier knolls of the mountain, meadow, or pasture land, 

 and most luxuriant in what may be described as a fine, peaty loam. 

 Well-grown specimens of this orchid rarely exceed 7 inches in 

 height, the flower spike alone being 2 inches, remarkably dense, and 

 somewhat cylindrical. 



The flowers are sweetly scented, very numerous, and thickly 

 placed on the stem. In this county (Carnarvonshire), at an eleva- 

 tion of 500 feet above sea-level, I have found this orchid in some 

 plenty growing along the raised banks of streams and rivulets. It 

 is a real mountain plant, being found abundantly in the Highlands 

 of Scotland, and extending little beyond the northern parts of Eng- 

 land. It is also found in Ireland. 



H. viridis (green Habenaria). — Tubers palmate. Leaves deep green, ovate or 

 elliptical. Flowers gi-eenish-yellow, an-anged in a rather close spike, and about 

 tiouble the size of H. alhida. Lip linear-oblong, about twice the length of th& 

 sepals, and terminating in two long lobes, with a smaller one between. 



From its dull green, inconspicuous appearance, and small size, 

 this orchid is by no means easily detected, even when growing in 

 quantity, and for this reason may be more plentiful than is generally 

 supposed. The whole plant seldom exceeds 8 inches in height, 

 with greenish-brown flowers, is more stiff and sturdy than H. alhida, 

 and with larger and broader leaves. Dry, hilly meadows and pasture 

 lands are its favourite haunts, and the soil in which it delights to 

 grow a rather loose free loam. It is local in its distribution, and 

 frequently only occurs in single specimens ; but this supposed scarcity 

 is, I believe, as before stated, owing to the general resemblance of 

 the plant in colour to the grass amongst which it is usually found. 

 In the adjoining island of Anglesey it is pretty abundant, and has 

 also been found, though sparingly, on the hills above Bangor. The 



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