182 NOTES ON BRITISH ORCHIDS. [July 



geographical distribution of the plant in Britain is somewhat similar 

 to the latter species, — frequent in Scotland and northern England, 

 but much less so farther south. Neither this plant nor H. alhida 

 are very amenable to cultivation, which is, I believe, due in a greater 

 measure to our inability to produce the bracing mountain air in 

 which they seem to delight than from any difficulty in procuring 

 either a suitable soil or situation. 

 It flowers from June to August. 



Genus 3. — Herminium. — -The want oi a spur at once distinguishes this from 

 Orchis. Anther cells wide apart, especially so at the base. Flower small and 

 inconspicuous, emitting a strong honey-like odour. 



There is but one species, H. monorchis. 



H. monorchis (musk Herminium). — Stem 4 or 5 inches in length, with two, 

 rarely three, lanceolate radical leaves placed near the base. Spike dense, 

 composed of small, yellowish-green flowers, which, especially in the evening, 

 have a faint perfume of musk. Lip uirturned, of the same size and colour as the 

 petals, but deeply lobed at each side, and hollowed at the base. 



Tuber about the size of a good large pea, nearly globular, and produced at the 

 extremity of one of the fibres proceeding from the cfown. 



In Britain this plant is rather sparsely distributed, occurring in 

 but a few English counties (chiefly the southern and eastern), and 

 has not, that I have heard of, been recorded from either Scotland or 

 Ireland. 



It is usually met with in barren, calcareous pastures, and about 

 old chalk pits. When transferring this plant to the garden, great 

 care is necessary to avoid injuring the young tuber, which, unlike 

 the generality of our native orchids, being found at some distance 

 from the original plant, is not easily detected. I have grown it 

 very successfully alongside a block of stone and in soil composed of 

 chalk and loam ; the increase has also been rapid, usually three new 

 plants appearing each year. Great differences in the general appear- 

 ance of this orchid, but more particularly the flower, are observable, 

 and this I have particularly noted, even in plants the produce of 

 one parent. In some specimens the flowers are arranged in a close, 

 compact spike, while in others they are lax in the extreme. 



It flowers in July. 



