782 “ORD. XLVIN. Orchidee. ORCHIS MASCULA. 
_the stem in a long regular spike: the bractez are membranous, 
purple, lance-shaped, and generally twisted at their points: the 
corolla is composed of five petals, two of which are upright, of an 
oval pointed shape, and their tips beft inwards: the other three 
are placed outwardly, and approach so as to form a galea, or 
helmet: the lip is large, with three lobes, of which that in the 
middle is the longest; they are notched, and spotted towards the 
base, which is white; the nectarium is lengthened out behind into 
a tubular part, resembling a little horn: the filaments are two, 
short, inserted in the germen, “and furnished with oval antherz, 
which are incased in the limb of the nectary: the germen is 
oblong and twisted: thé style is short, with a compressed stigma : 
the capsule is oblong, and contains numerous small seeds. It is 
common in meadows, and flowers in April and May. 
~ This plant has a place i in the Materia Medica of the Edinburgh 
Pharmacoperia only on account of its roots, which abound with a 
glutinous slimy juice, ‘ofa ‘sweetish taste ; to the smell ast. are 
faint, and somewhat unpleasant. 
Fhis mucilaginous or gelatinous quality of the Grehit root has 
recommended it as ademutcent, and it has been generally employed 
with the same intentions and in the same complaints as the root of 
althaea and gum arabic, both of which we have already noticed. 
Salep, which is imported here from the East, and formerly held 
in great estimation, is now well known to be a preparation of the 
root of Orchis || which was first suggested by Mr. J. Miller,+ and 
different methods of preparing it have been since proposed and 
practised: of these the latest and most approved. is that by 
Mr. Mault, of Rochdale,* which we shall transcribe from the words 
of Dr. Percival,* who follows Mr. Mault in recommending: the 
|] Orchis mascula, though the chief, > is not the only a from which the Salep 
is prepared. 
og ‘Joseph Miller (Botan. Offic. 1722. p. 385) to which we ‘may add the names 
of Seba and Heister. ‘This was first confirmed by Buxbaum C Plant. min, cogn. 
Cent. 3, p, 8.) ee p- 280. 
