70 NATIVE BRITISH ORCHIDACE/E 



opened ones. In one case a complete pair of poUinia was adhering to the stigma, 

 the flower's own pollinia being still intact, so that it is possible for pollination to 

 occur without withdrawal of the pollinia. Pollen was observed on many stigmas, 

 and in October the stems were heavy with large ripe capsules. 



EPIPACTIS LATIFOLIA x E. VIOLACEA 

 X E. Schulzei Camus 



A specimen of this hybrid, found near Selborne on August 8th, 193 1, by me m 

 company with Mr P. M. Hall, differed manifestly from the plants of E. violacea 

 amongst which it grew by its very stout stem, broad ovate latiJolia-Yikc leaves, very 

 dense spike, and remarkably long bracts. The leaves from the base upwards measured 

 (i) 6 X 4 cm., (2) 8 X 4-5 cm., (3) 8-5 x 3-2 cm., (4) 8-6 x 1-7 cm., (5) 7 x 1-2 cm. 

 There was also a leaf-hke tip to the basal sheath about 6 cm. long. The lowest bract 

 was 6-5 x 1-2 cm. No flowers were yet open, but on dissection the buds diftered 

 from those of pure E. violacea as follows. The transverse wavy violet ridges on the 

 floor of the basal cup characteristic of E. violacea were absent, but it was longitudinally 

 streaked with closely parallel transparent veins, and was entirely green. The boss 

 on each side of the terininal tongue was like that of E. latifolia, and showed no trace 

 of the parallel furrows, like those between the fingers of the human hand, which 

 are distinctive of E. violacea. 



But for the above exceptions, the plant closely resembled E. violacea. The stem 

 and leaves were flushed with violet. Perhaps a specimen in the herbarium of the late 

 Mr C. E. Salmon, labelled E. latifolia, Ashburnliam Park, August 4th, 1894, with a 

 long spike of large flowers with very long bracts, belonged to this hybrid, and 

 possibly also the "E.j!)/^rj:)/^rtf/<2Sm.bracteislongissimis. Surrey. Kellermann! Box- 

 hill Rach. " mentioned by Reichenbach. 



4. Epipactis LEPTOCHILA Godfery 



PI. 9; PL A, fig. 6 (p. 6); PL K, fig. i (p. 220). Slender-lipped Hellehorine 



Rhizome descending, deep, knotted, with dark brown scales and numerous long 

 fleshy sinuous light brown roots springing from the nodes, in old plants often 

 thickened above, with several flower-stems, each with a bud at the base with a single 

 very hairy rootlet. Stem 20-70 cm. tall, round, erect, rigid, soUd, sometimes rather 

 woody at the base, not more than 5 mm. in diameter as a rule, pale green, covered 

 with often dense whitish hairs above, less so below, where it is whitish tinged with 

 violet, with two or three ribbed violet-tinged leafless sheaths at the base, later turning 

 brown. Leaves broadly ovate (7 x 5 cm. to 5 x 4 cm.), sometimes broadly lanceolate 



