72 



NATIVE BRITISH ORCHIDACEyE 



bud smooth and glistening, but rapidly beconaing fluffy, owing to the swelling of the 

 globular pollen-grains, united in tetrads. Stigma transversely oblong, leaning sHghtly 

 backwards, not "supported on a pedestal as in E. latijolia, the upper edge sloping 

 slightly downwards on each side, the lower edge with a wavy irregular hp. Rostellum 

 globular, always present in bud, and frequently when the flower first opens, but 

 quicldy disappearing, leaving a small brownish mark. The flowers, except perhaps 

 the last opened one or two, then appear to have no rostellum at all. Seeds: testa 

 long, narrow, obtuse, about eight or ten times as long as broad; mesh narrow, cell- 

 walls tliick. Embryo lemon-shaped, narrow, not much more than half as broad as 

 testa, opaque. 



The only Epipactis with which E. kptochila can be confused is E. latifolia, from 



which it differs as follows : 



(i) Rhizome descends deep, giving off many roots at different levels; latifolia has 

 a tassel of roots rovmd the base of the stem. 



(2) Each bud has only one rootlet instead of two. 



(3) The leaves are in opposite ranks, i.e. at an angle of 180° with each other. In 

 latifolia the lower leaves are so to speak in a spiral whorl of tliree, i.e. at an angle of 

 120° with each other. 



(4) The flowers are yellow-green, with longer more acuminate sepals and petals. 



(5) The epichile is long, narrow, acuminate, projecting forwards, not heart-shaped, 

 as broad as long, with tip curled underneath, as in latifolia. 



(6) There is an incision on each side of the column separating the back from the 

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



(7) The anther is on a nib-shaped stalk, not sessile as in latifolia, and projects well 

 forward over the upper edge of the stigma. 



(8) The upper parts of the pollinia slide over the top of the stigma, and form a 

 rough horseshoe on its face, so that the flower is pollinated by its own pollen, which 

 never happens with latifolia. 



(9) The rostellum very soon disappears, so that all but the last opened flowers 



appear to have no rostellum. 



(10) Practically every flower sets a seed-capsule. In latifolia no flower sets a capsule 

 unless pollen from another flower is brought to the stigma by insects. 



(11) It is mainly self-fertilised, latifolia never so. 



I first found E. kptochila near Horsley, Surrey, on June 29th, 191 8, and supposed 

 it to be E. viridiflora Rchb., as it agreed with the diagnoses of Reichenbach and Hoff- 

 mann, though these were too meagre for positive identification. H. Miiller, however, 

 had stated that in £. viridiflora there was no rostellum, the pollinia were deposited 

 on the stigma of the same flower, and self-fertilisation was inevitable. These unusual 

 characters appeared to confirm the above identification, but I was still puzzled to 



