38 TilK JOLlt>AL OF BUTAXl' 



curiously enough quotes E. purpiirata Sm. (varletas bracteis evolu- 

 tissimis) as identical with his JE. Hellehorine 3. varians {viridijlora)^ 

 giving Surrey and Boxhill as respective localities. Bark's figure 

 (Icon. t. 7) is noteworthy for the pubescence of the upper stem and 

 ovary, and for the hairy poUinia. This is the earliest indication by 

 any author of the outgrowth of pollen-tubes, in situ, on the poUinia, 

 which was first described by Hermann Miiller (Yerhandl. d. N. H. 

 Ver. preuss. Kheinl. &c. 1868). It is necessarily exaggerated, and 

 the hairs appear black, Avhereas they are really as clear and colourless 

 as glass, but it would be impossible to show this on the scale of the 

 figure. He does not mention it in the text, but the indication in the 

 figure is sufficiently remarkable. Rouy's description (Fl. France, xiii. 

 204) fits our plant accurately as far as it goes, but it is silent as to 

 the column, anther, stigma, and rostellum. Like Rouy, Ascherson 

 and Graebner (Syn. Mitt. Europ. Fl. iii. 862) treat it as a race of 

 _£J. latifolia, their description showing some advance on previous 

 ones, as it notices the absence of a rostellum (which is present in our 

 plant in newh^-opened flowers) and mentions that self-fertilisation 

 occurs. 



As our plant, while specifically identical with the continental one, 

 has certain marked characteristics of its own, is constant in the 

 limited area in which it grows, and differs from the forms dunensis 

 and vectensis referred to above, I jDropose to describe it as a new 

 variety * : — 



Epipactis YiRiDiFLOEii Rchb. var. nov. leptochtla. 



A typo differt caulibus altioribus (2-7 dm. ) sa^pe aggregatis ; 

 foliis inferioribus ssepe ovatis ; sepalis acuminatis 12-15 mm. longis, 

 4 mm. latis ; lobello protinus prominente; hypochilio orbiculari 4 mm. 

 diam., 3—4 mm. alto; epichilio cordato acuminato (cuspide longa 

 acuta) angustissimo (+8 mm. longo, 4 mm. la to, ubi latissimum 

 est) viridi albomarginato ; caUis duobus irregulariter rugosis albis 

 interdum pallide roseis ; rostello evanescente. 



Diifers from the type as follows : — Stems taller (2-7 dm.), often 

 clustered. Lower leaves frequently ovate. Sepals acuminate 12- 

 15 mm. long by 4 mm. broad. Labellum projecting forward. Hypo- 

 chile orbicular, 4 mm. in diam., 3-4 mm. deep. Epichile cordate 

 acuminate, with long acute point, very narrow ( + 8 mm. long by 

 4 mm. broad at widest part), green, bordered white. Bosses two, 

 irregular rugose, w^hite, sometimes faintly tinged pink. Rostellum 

 evanescent. 



Stems clustered in older parts, 20-70 cm. tall. Leaves ovate 

 to broadly lanceolate, upper lanceolate tapering, all acute, often 

 wavy-edged, yellow-green or dark green, not grey-green. 



Internodes short. 



Sepals long, acuminate, 12-15 mm. long by + 4 mm. broad. 



* The differences between Mr. Stephenson's forma (:^)^He/^6•^s and typical viridi- 

 flora are considerably greater than those between many recognized varieties ; 

 indeed, I am inclined to think that dunensis has gone far on the road towards 

 differentiation as a species. It appears to be fully entitled to rank as a variety, 

 much more so, for instance, than E. pnlustris var, erketoru m Asch. & Gracbn. 



