GAMOPETAL/E 321 



humus, and clothed with a thick mycorhiza, as in 

 Pines and some Heaths, a fungus myceHum. The 

 mycehum obtains the nutritive matter from the 

 humus and yields it up to the Yellow Bird's Nest, 

 thus carrying out the work of absorption. The 

 fungus is doubtless benefited in some manner in 

 return. 



The Yellow Bird's Nest is found in many parts of 

 England, but only occasionally in Scotland, and is 

 very rare in Ireland, chiefly in the centre of the 

 country. 



The habitat is woods, at the roots of fir, beech, 

 and birch. It occurs on the chalk in beechwoods, 

 and on the coast in the sand dune formation in the 

 creeping willow association. 



The plant is a saprophyte in habit, smooth or 

 downy. The stem is stout, creamy-white, fleshy, 

 succulent, simple, with ovate scales in place of leaves, 

 the flowers clustered at the extremity in the form of 

 a bird's nest. The scales are not numerous, and are 

 toothed. 



The flowers are few, or many, in a short terminal 

 raceme, drooping till in fruit. The sepals and petals 

 are oblong, notched, about equal, and blunt. The 

 ultimate flower-stalks are short, erect in fruit, the 

 bracts scale-like. The anthers are small, borne on 

 slender stalks, which are incurved, the alternate 

 ones longer, and these open by transverse valves. 

 The parts of the terminal flowers are in fours, the 

 lateral ones in fives. 



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