356 Rock Samphire, &c., on the West of Scotland. [Sess. 



which we in Scotland have but little acquaintance, together 

 with the more widely- distributed Fragrant Orchis (Gymna- 

 denia conopsea Bcnth.), with its rich pungent odour. 



The circumstance of this striking plant (the Epipactis) 

 appearing where it did is, as Mr Bennett remarks, odd, 

 when one comes to look at its European, and especially its 

 Scandinavian, distribution, and " I cannot help thinking," he 

 adds, " that it will be found in one of the other isles between 

 Colonsay and Skye, and, judging from analogy, I should have 

 said it would be more likely to occur on the West of Scotland 

 than in the East." 



That Epipactis palustris is but a rare plant with us may be 

 gathered from the fact that Professor Trail, in his ' Topograph- 

 ical Botany of Scotland,' is only able to give it for the three 

 lowland counties on the East — Berwick, Haddington, and 

 Mid-Lothian, — from Fife also, and from the three divisions of 

 Perthshire, in all of which I believe it is a scarce plant. 



In England it is widely distributed, and recorded as occur- 

 ring in 59 of the 71 vice-counties. In Ireland Mr Praeger 

 describes it as a characteristic plant of the Central Plain, thin- 

 ning out in the north and east. 



There are five British species of the genus Epipactis, 

 several of them much alike. E. palustris, whose habit is 

 marshy ground, is about a foot high, with leafy stem, flowers 

 few, the outer leaves of the perianth green striped with red, 

 the inner white striped with red. Orchis plants most com- 

 monly rise from ovate or palmate tubers. Of Epipactis, 

 however, and some other genera, — e.g., Cephalanthera, — the 

 rootstock is a fibrous and creeping one, well seen in Cephal- 

 anthera ensifolia, of which an Arran specimen is shown. 



At this meeting Mr B. J. Home delivered a lantern lecture 

 on " Historic Edinburgh," which was greatly appreciated by 

 the members, and their hearty thanks were given to the 

 lecturer. 



