34 THE .TOUBItAIi OF BOTANY 



All the Leaves were lanceolate and evenly graded, the lip pointed- 

 triangular with plicate -rugose side-bosses ; near it was a specimen with 

 long leaves, very long-triangular lip, and nearly smooth side-bosses. 



Many specimens agree with Linton's atroviridis : they have the 

 narrower, graded leaf-type, and strongly-marked centre-bosses, as 

 well as the side-bosses. These centre-bosses may be broad or narrow, 

 short or long, scarcely exceeding the side-bosses or coming down the 

 whole length of the lip, very distinct from the side-bosses or merged 

 into them, and combined with either the long or the broad lip-type. 



Some forms agree with Druce's platyphylla. In one ease the 

 lower leaves were nearly circular, respectively Sand 10 cm. in diameter ; 

 they gradually merge into narrow, lanceolate leaves, approaching 

 bracts in appearance. The flower has a roughly equilateral lip, with 

 fairly large plicate-rugose lip-bosses and a central ridge. This lip is 

 of a dull pint colour, the leaves very dark green, thick and glossy. 

 Another specimen has the lowest leaf broader than long ( 5"5 x 5 cm.) ; 

 in this case the leaves become ovate-lanceolate, merging into huge 

 lower bracts (8"5 X 3 cm., 8'5 x 25 cm., and 7o x 2 cm.). As in the 

 previous case, there is a very small central boss. 



Quite frequently the latifolia type of leaf is combined with the 

 mediatype of flower. There are before us four specimens with per- 

 fectly ovate leaves throughout, with no graduation into bracts, 

 except a single bract-like leaf in one case. In one of these plants a 

 broadly ovate leaf 6 cm. long starts only 12 cm. from the base 

 of the spike and reaches half-way up it. In another a similarly ovate 

 leaf starts 8 cm. below the base of the spike. These all have flowers 

 of a generally media type. 



We do not find many cases of lip-bosses which we should call 

 quite smooth, but in one of these the leaves are very narrowly lanceo- 

 late, grading perfectly into narrow bracts ; in many cases the lip- 

 bosses are almost smooth, and the leaves of media type. 



In this connection we are rather at a loss to know just what 

 botanists mean by " smooth." We rather think that the epithet is 

 often applied to cases in which the bosses are not markedly knotted 

 and wrinkled, but only a little uneven. We can hardly say that we 

 have seen any plants of any species of JEpipactis whose lips were 

 devoid of all wrinkles or furrows or convex mouldings of some sort ; 

 although some are much less moulded and rugose than others. 



Besides single specimens from various localities, we have seen a 

 fair nu nber of plants from Grassington, almost all of which we 

 should set down by their leaf -type to latifolia. The lip-bosses varied 

 from nearly smooth to very prominent and lumpy : the centre-boss 

 was absent in some, in others very small; in one it was very distinct, 

 in another there was a strong central ridge. An excellent note on 

 the Grassington forms is given bv Dr. F. A. Lees in The Naturalist 

 for March 1910 (p. 130). 



We have seen a large series of plants from Bath, sent by 

 Mr. Bradley, none of which had very narrow or very evenly-graded 

 leaves: in many the lowest leaf was orbicular, with a minute apex; 

 those above were mostly lanceolate, of a somewhat intermediate type. 

 Some flowers had very small centre-bosses or ridges. None had a 



