310 FIELD AND WOODLAND PLANTS 



leaves, and generally only one leaf on the slender stem. The spike 

 is loose and slender ; and the flowers, which are small and green, are 

 sessile, and emit a musky odour during the night. The sepals are 

 broad ovate ; the petals narrower ; and the Up is three-lobed, pouch- 

 like at the base, with terminal lobe longer than the other two. 



One of the most remarkable, and, at the same time, one of 

 the most beautiful of Orchids is the Bee Orchis [Ofhrys apifera). 

 Although not to be described as common, it is frequently to be seen 

 in moderate numbers on banks and in open ground in calcareous 

 districts. Its height is from six to twelve inches, and it flowers 

 during June and July. The leaves are short, oblong, and mostly 

 radical ; the bracts large and leafy; and the flowers, numbering from 

 two to six, are arranged in a lax spike, and very closely resemble 

 certain species of bees. The sepals are spreading, oval, and pink 

 inside ; and the petals are linear and downy. The Up of the flower 

 is swollen and broad, very velvety, and of a rich brown colour 

 variegated with, yellow. It is not longer than the sepals, and has 

 four lobes, the two lower of which are hairy, while the other two 

 are bent under. There is also a sharp, reflexed appendage in the 

 notch. The flower is shown on Plate VITI. 



A rare variety, very much like the commoner type just described, 

 is occasionally seen in Kent and Surrey. It is called the Late 

 Spider Orchis (variety arachnites), and is supposed to resemble a 

 spider more than a bee. The petals are more triangular than in 

 the Bee Orchis, and the Hp is longer than the sepals. It may 

 also be distinguished by the appendage in the notch, which is 

 cordate in form, and flat. 



Another rare plant — the Spider Orchis {OpJirys aranifera) is to be 

 found in chalky pastures of the South-East. Its flowers are smaller, 

 and generally fewer in number. The sepals are yeUowish-green 

 inside, and the petals smooth and linear. The Up is swollen and 

 four-lobed, but without any appendage in the notch, and is of a 

 deep purple -bro-WTi, with yellowish markings. This is an earUer 

 species, flowering diu-ing April and May. 



Our last example of this order is the pretty little Fly Orchis 

 {Ophrys muscifera). It is a slender plant, with a few oblong leaves, 

 and usuaUy from two to ten flowers arranged in a loose spike. 

 The sepals are yeUo wish -green, and the very slender petals resemble 

 the antennae of an insect. The lip of the flo^^'er is of a brownish 

 purple colour, with a blue blotch in the middle ; and is oblong, 

 ^^ith three lobes, the middle of which is divided into two. This 



