ORCHIDACEiE. 343 



2. Fertile Fl. Scape very long, flexuous or spiral. Spatlie 

 tubular, bifid, 1 -flowered. Perianth elongated, 6 -parted ; the 

 alternate segments linear. Style none. Stigmas 3, ovate, bifid. 

 Capsule elongated, cylindric, 3-toothed, 1-celled, many-seeded ; 

 the seeds attached to the sides. 



V. spiralis Linn. : leaves linear, obtuse, minutely and aculeately serru- 

 late; sterile peduncles very short; fertile ones flexuous. V. Americana. 

 Mich. 



Still water. Can. to Flor. W. to HI. Aug. %.— Leaves all radical, 1—2 

 feet or more long, 2 — 4 lines wide, linear and. grass-like, obscurely 3-nerved, 

 smooth and deep-green. Perianth reddish- white. The roots are supposed to be 

 the favorite food of the canvas-back duck. Tape Grass. Eel Grass. 



Order CXXV. ORCHIDACE^.— Orchids. 



Flowers irregular. Perianth of 6 segments, in two rows, the 

 outer (calyx) usually colored and petaloid like the inner, the 

 lowest one {Up) different from the others and often spurred. 

 Stamens 3, united with the style and thus forming the column, 

 the central one only perfect or the central abortive and the two 

 lateral perfect. Pollen powdery or cohering in waxy masses. 

 Ovary adherent, 1-celled, with 3 parietal placentae ; style mostly 

 forming part of the column ; stigma a viscid concave spot in 

 front of the column. Seeds very numerous and minute, with a 

 loose netted coat. — Herbs, with tuberous or fibrous roots and 

 usually handsome. Flowers in spikes or racemes. 



I. MalaxejE. Pollen cohering in waxy masses, without a caudicU 

 or separable stigmaiic gland. Anther terminal. 



1, LIPARIS. Rich.—U^Sins. 

 (From the Greek '\nrapog,fat ; the leaves having an unctuous feel.) 



Perianth with the segments distinct, linear, spreading. Lip 

 flat, dilated, entire, turned various ways. Column winged. 

 Pollen-masses 4, without pedicels or glands. 



1. L. liliifolia Rich.: leaves 3, ovate, much shorter than the scape; 

 inner segments of the perianth filiform, deflected ; lip very large, obovate, 

 mucronate, Maiaxis liliifolia Willd. 



Wet woods. Can. to Car. June, July. 1\.. — Scape 6 — 8 inches high, 5-an- 

 gled, with an ovoid bulb at the base. Flowers rather large, in a short terminal 

 raceme, the perianth pale-yellow, the lip purplish. Common Liparis. 



2. L. Lceselii Rich. : leaves 2, ovate-lanceolate, plaited, erect, much 

 shorter than the scape ; segments of the perianth linear, unequal ; lip obo- 

 vate, entire. L. Correana Spreng. Maiaxis Correana Bart. 



