I'EOM THE SOCIETY'S GARDEN. 225 



23. P^ONiA Moutan: atrosanguinea. 



Received from Mr. Fortune in May, 1846, marked "dark- 

 purple," from Hong Kong, and from Shangliae as 

 " very dark, nearly black." 



Flowers, a good double, dark crimson ; outer petals large and 

 mostly entire ; inner ones much smaller and lobed ; foliage like 

 that of the old P. papaveracea, but rather narrow and more 

 pointed. 



Tliis is a very handsome, deep-blood coloured variety, the 

 darkest in colour of all the Tree-paeonies yet in cultivation. 



May 18, 1849, 



24. Ophrts vespifera. Willdenow, Species P/antarmn, 4, 

 65 ; LindL, Gen. et Sp. Orch., p. 372. 



Purchased at tlie sale of the late Dean of Manchester's 

 plants. 



In this and the following species we have gained two of those 

 rare and curious kinds of terrestrial Orchids in which the lovers 

 of singular forms have always been mueli interested. Tlieir 

 foliage has nothing that deserves special mention, but their 

 flowers are sufficiently remarkable. 



The Wasp Ophrys was found by its late lamented possessor in 

 Corfu, and was brought in a living state to 

 England. It has a yellow lip, perfectly free 

 from hairiness, but marked with brown streaks 

 and spots, so as to resemble the body of the ^ 

 insect after which it is named ; especially when 

 the sepals and petals are curved down upon its 

 base, as is the case in its natural state. The 

 annexed cut shows the flower spread flat. 



The species is so rare that it can scarcely 

 be said to exist in the herbaria of this country ; the plant called 

 O. vespifera by some, and which is usually mistaken for it, being 

 quite different, with large deep yellow flowers, having a broad 

 stripe of crimson wool. That plant, which is as common in the 

 south of Europe as this is rare, is the Ophrys lutea of Cavanilles 

 and other botanists. 



Like otiier species of the genus, the true Ophrys vespifera 

 varies a little in the form of the lip, which is sometimes roundish 

 and sometimes obovate ; but it appears always to have the 

 middle lobe emarorinate. 



