NEOTTIEyE—EPIPACTIS 67 



(giving a curious livid mealy appearance) and 2-3 rather loose brown leafless sheaths 

 at base, the upper often green-tipped. Leaves small, few, distant, rough, ovate- 

 lanceolate to lanceolate (± 6 cm. x 2 cm.), dull grey-green, often (but not always) 

 flushed with violet, not keeled, with 3-7 principal and numerous fainter nerves, 

 fringed with short translucent papilla, and with long sheaths, so that the leaves do 

 not much exceed the internodes. Lowest leaf very small, concave above, the upper- 

 most bract-like. Raceme long (up to 18 cm.), many-flowered, rather dense, one- 

 sided, at first nodding, finally erect. Flowers pale greenish wliite, horizontal, rather 

 large, opening wide, with a wliite lip and faint almost imperceptible scent. Bracts 

 lanceolate to linear, tapering, acute, spreading or pointing downwards, often flushed 

 with violet, the lower sometimes very long, with usually three principal nerves and 

 several subsidiary ones, the edges minutely toothed. Ovary club-shaped, about i cm. 

 long, straight, tapering gradually to the twisted stalk (±5 mm.), dark green tinged 

 with violet, hispid with short hairs, with six cord-hke ridges. Ripe capsule large 

 (i -50-1 '70 cm. long), broad, trigonous, sides nearly flat, thickest near the rounded 

 apex, rough with the bases of worn-ofl" hairs, horizontal, not as a rule pendent. 

 Sepals lanceolate (10-12 x 5 mm.), obtuse or somewhat acute, hooded or 

 drawn together at the tip, concave, green outside, smooth and whitish green witliin, 

 obscurely 5 -nerved with a green keel, edges sometimes rough. Petals ovate-lanceo- 

 late, obtuse or acute, whitish, sometimes faintly tinged with rose, or greenish white, 

 translucent, shorter than sepals, green-keeled in the lower part only, obscurely 

 5 -nerved. Lip slightly shorter than sepals, basal cup (hypocliile) rather elliptical 

 (± 5 mm. long, 4 mm. broad, 3J mm. deep), glossy, pale green slightly tinged with 

 violet outside, olive-green mottled with violet within (sometimes with no trace of 

 violet inside or out), obscurely 5 -nerved, rugose inside, glistening with nectar, with 

 transparent, whitish or colourless edges. Tongue of lip (epichile) broader than long, 

 cordate, acute, finely toothed, tip reflexed, dull white with 2-3 more or less confluent 

 smooth hunches and a cord-like central boss, faintly tinged with violet or rose. 

 Column' short (2 mm.) with a shallow cup (clinandrium) at the top enclosed by a 

 low semi-circular wavy-edged wall, ending on each side in a rounded staminode 

 almost touching the back of the stigma. Stigma in front of column, oblong, quadran- 

 gular, with rounded corners, its lower edge turned up in a lip, with a keel at the back 

 running up to the wliitish globular rostellum, wliich is rather smaller than that of 

 E. latijoUa. Anther sessile, narmv, laterally compressed, obtuse, granular outside, 

 pale yellowish cream, leaning forward over the clinandrium. Pollinia short (2 mm.), 

 thick, ovoid, yellowish white, adhering to the rostellum just below their apex. Seed 

 similar to that of £. latijolia. Testa long, very narrow, straight or curved, obtuse, 

 narrow-meshed. Embryo lemon-shaped much narrower than testa. 



' PL K, fig. I, C\, Czand C3. 



9-2 



