El'Il'ACTIS LATIFOLTA ]> BRITAIN 



3S 



large or rugose centre-boss ; the side-bosses were of medium size and 

 rugosity, a few almost smooth. 



It is thus evident that the amount of variation, when all the 

 forms are reviewed, is very great. The variation of the leaves, both 

 in size and shape, is considerable ; in one example the lowest leaf is 

 ovate-lanceolate. 16 cm. long by 7 cm. wide, rapidly narrowing into 

 narrow-lanceolate. In many, as has been said, the lowest leaf is 

 orbicular. Some taper very abruptly, some very evenly. In some 

 cases the leaves are very long in proportion to the stem, in others very 

 short. They may graduate quite evenly into bracts, or the topmost 

 leaf may be very large, and partly or wholly overtop the spike. In 



Epipactis latifolda, lip and flower types. 



A. Broad. D. Longitudinal section through centre of lip 



B. Intermediate. ' 



C. Narrow. E. Longitudinal section through centre of lip. 



this case it may be ovate or long-acuminate. The lower bracts 

 vary enormously. One has been noted 8-5 by 3 cm. They may be 

 very small, about a third longer than the flower. The topmost bracts 

 are always very small, as far as we have seen. The colour of the 

 leaves varies a good deal, being sometimes a deep, glossy ff reen and 

 passing through various dull shades to yellowish green. The texture 

 also varies, some leaves being tough and strongly ribbed, others much 

 hner. Occasionally we have observed a variegated leaf the green 

 being broken by oblong yellowish patches, whose shape is determined 

 by the venation. 



The lips maybe roughly divided into three classes: (a) much 

 broader than long, with tip recurved, sepals and petals broad ■ (i) lono-. 

 triangular, the point of the lip not (or not much) recurved, sepals 

 and petals narrower; and (c) various intermediates. In the text 

 figure these types are indicated. Figs. A and D represent the broad 



D 2 



