68 NATIVE BRITISH ORCHIDACE.E 



Var. purpurata Smith (as species), English Flora, iv, 41 ; E.B.S. 2775 (colours quite 



wrong). 



Smith described his E. purpurata from a single specimen found by the Rev. Dr 

 Abbot in 1807 "parasitical on the stump of a maple or hazel in a wood at Leigh, 

 Worcestershire", of which he says: "Peremiial. June. Root certainly parasitical, 

 whole plant when fresh glowing with a beautiful red-lilac colour". A similar form, 

 rosea Erdner, was found in Bavaria, the whole plant rosy, as in Eathrcea squamosa.'^ 

 In July, 191 9, another was foimd near Horsham, Sussex, now in the British Museum 

 (Nat. Hist.), London. E. violacea is a saprophyte, agreeing with parasites in deriving 

 its nourishment from organic material, but diifering in growing on dead, not living 

 organisms, and only assimilating matter in a state of decay. The flush of violet appears 

 to be due to this cause, the same coloration occurring in the continental orchid 

 Eimodorum abortivum, in Eathraa, etc., which are also saprophytes. Many of the Enghsh 

 plants have no tinge of violet except on the stem, but where much decaying organic 

 matter is present the leaves are shot with violet. The extreme limit of saprophytism 

 is reached when the plant is compelled to derive its nourishment entirely from organic 

 matter, as in the Leigh and Horsham plants. 



The figure of E. media in Sowerby's Eng. Bol. was drawn from a specimen of 

 E. violacea from Woburn Abbey, Bedford.^ According to Webster the species 

 E. purpurea of some botanists is not E. violacea but a dark purple form of E. latijoliaJ> 

 E. violacea is easily distinguishable from E. latijolia by (i) the deep vertical knotted 

 rootstock, with roots from the nodes at diiferent depths, not in a tassel at the base 

 of the stem; (2) the tufted stems of the older plants; (3) the shorter narrower distant 

 leaves, never orbicular or ovate; (4) the violet flush on the leaves (not always present) ; 

 (5) the broader raceme of greenish white flowers; (6) the violet, not dark brown, 

 interior of the cup of the lip; (7) the large thick heavy-looking seed-capsules. Some 

 authors state that it is distinguishable by its robust habit, but E. latijolia and leptochila 

 also are sometimes 70 cm. tall. Whilst the flowering head is often dense, plants are 

 not infrequent in wliich it is not more dense than in E. latijolia, but it often has a 

 bunchy appearance through two, three, or even four flowers being close together, 

 almost as if in whorls. 



Richter4 regards violacea as a hybrid between E. latijolia and E. microphylla, but the 

 total absence of the last-named from Britain puts it out of court as a parent, and 

 violacea also occurs abroad where both the supposed parents are absent. 5 E. violacea 

 appears to be uniform and constant in Britain, not varying in the shape of the leaves 

 and the colour of the flowers like E. latijolia. It is a rarer and more local plant than 



I A. and G. Sjn. iii, 864. ^ E.B. ix, 124. 



3 Webster, Brit. Orchids, ed. i, p. 26. ■* PI. europ. i, 284. 



5 Hoffmann, Allg. Bot. Zeit. No. 12 (Dec. 1907). 



