NEOTT/EyE— EPIPACTIS 63 



of the lip is so elastic that it bobs up and down if the flower is shaken, whence the 

 American popular name. 



2. Epipactis latifolia AUioni 

 PI. 7; PI. A, fig. 5 (p. 6); PL K, fig. I (p. 220). Broad-leaved Helleborine 



Roots numerous, moderately thick, brownish white, cylindrical, in a tassel (Text- 

 fig. 8) at the foot of the stem; rhizome, if present, small, woody. Stem 30-80 cm., 

 tall, solid, round, leafy, often tinged with violet below, hoary above with short 

 whitish hairs and with two or more ribbed leafless sheaths at the base. Leaves 

 broadly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, sometimes nearly circular (var. orbicularis Richter), 

 decreasing in size upwards; lowest usually small, rounded, uppermost bract-like, 

 lanceolate, with long tapering tip, the transition either gradual or abrupt ; all spreading, 

 the lower arranged spirally round the stem at an angle of about 120° with each other, 

 i.e. three leaves to one turn of the spiral, dull green, not glossy, minutely toothed, 

 much longer than the internodes, their ribbed sheaths closely enclosing the stem, 

 with ± 5 principal nerves strongly raised beneath the rather weak and flaccid leaf, 

 and several transparent ones between, nerves and leaf-edges rough. The upper leaves 

 are rather irregularly arranged. Flowers 15-50 in a long loose or dense one-sided 

 spike-like raceme, at first nodding, finally erect, greenish to dull red-violet (var. 

 purpurea), drooping, rather bell-shaped, later opening wide, according to Max Schulze 

 smelling of valerian, but generally scentless. Bracts spreading, lanceolate, acute, the 

 lower often exceeding the flowers, 9-19-nerved, the upper about equal to ovary, 

 ± 3-nerved. Ovary green, somewhat pear-shaped, often humped at the back, ± i cm. 

 long, 6-ridged, glabrous or with a few scattered hairs, tapering into a short twisted 

 stalk, finally pendent. Ripe capsule hanging, oblong-ovate, about 11 mm. long, 

 shortly stalked. Lateral sepals obliquely ovate to lanceolate, i i cm. long, keeled, 

 acute, concave, green or dull red-violet, 3-5 -nerved. Petals ovate, slightly broader, 

 rb 8 mm. long, acute, keeled, semi-transparent, 5-7-nerved, green tinged with rose 

 or red-violet. Lip shorter than sepals, basal half (hypochile) cup-shaped, 5 -nerved, 

 green outside, dark brown (rarely dark green) and glistening with nectar within, the 

 front edges turned down in a fold connecting it with the apical half (epichile), which 

 is heart-shaped or triangular with reflexed acute tip, and with two wart-like smooth 

 or wrinkled humps at the base, rose to violet-rose, rarely dirty white. Column' short, 

 squat, the thin green walls forming a shallow cup (clinandrium) on the summit, and 

 ending on each side in a whitish rounded staminode (rudimentary anther) almost 

 touching the back of the stigma. Stigma transversely oblong, angles rounded, lipped 

 below, facing forwards. Rostellum large, milky white, sub-globose, seated on a 



' PL A, fig. 5 (p. 6); PI. K, fig. I (p. 220). 



