Fertilisation of Epipactis latifolia. 351 



succeeding plant, tlie eye or bud of which is formed 

 close to the old or last year's stem. At times the 

 plant produces several of these eyes in one season ; 

 indeed, during the present summer, I counted sixteen 

 and twenty-six flowering stems on two plants, and it is 

 not at all uncommon for three or four stems to be found 

 attached to the same plant. (2) Each capsule (judging 

 by the number in the almost equally sized Cephal- 

 anthera grandiflora) will contain about 6000 seeds, so 

 that even if one only were produced on each plant, 

 it would be more than sufficient to keep up the 

 stock. 



In conclusion, one cannot but wonder how remarkable 

 it is that the nectar of Epipactis latifolia should be so 

 highly attractive to the red-tailed humble bee, that cannot 

 fertilise the flower; while to the wasp, that can remove the 

 poUeu masses with ease, and thereby insure cross-fertilisa- 

 tion, it offers but little attraction, as is clearly shown by 

 the almost total absence of its visits. I have men- 

 tioned above, that, under certain conditions, the roots of 

 this plant produce eyes or buds, but, strange as it may 

 appear, this is not the case in all, for I have examined 

 numbers without any such means of reproduction. In 

 many instances also, indeed it is the general rule in 

 this district, that the plant in question is destitute 

 of a rostellum, the viscid matter at the base of 

 the pollinia being free or uncovered, thus imitating in 

 structure the degraded and self- fertilised Cephalanthera 

 grandiflora. 



Now, can it be that Epipactis latifolia^ from not being 

 sufficiently attractive to insects, or from the want of 

 proper insects in this country to fertilise it, is gradually 

 becoming modified, and propagation by increase of the 

 root slowly but surely taking the place of seed, or at least 

 materially assisting to prevent the extinction of the 

 plant, as would in all probability result from the present 

 imperfect fertilisation and subsequent small production of 

 seed ? This is rendered all the more probable by the 

 curious fact that, in most if not all of our native orchids 

 that are either partially or wholly self-fertilised, nature, 

 as if to make up for the small production of seed, has 



