74 NATIVE BRITISH ORCHIDACEiE 



Var. vectensis Stephenson (J.B. p. i (1918); PI- 5 5 5. %• ^ (1920); p. 205 (1921)). 

 Plant slender, delicate. Stem solitary, nearly glabrous below, slightly pubescent 

 above. Basal sheaths several, adpressed, upper often funnel-shaped. Leaves few, 

 greyish green, not strongly ribbed, minutely ciliate, nerves smooth or ciliate. Lower 

 leaves lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, upper linear-lanceolate to linear, acute. Lower 

 bracts never much exceeding the flowers. Flowers in a lax few-flowered raceme, 

 much more drooping, yellowish green, sometimes very faintly brownish outside. 

 Petals and sepals longer, narrower and more acuminate than in E. dunensis. Lip 

 whitish green, triangular, cordate, acuminate, straight or slightly recurved, bosses 

 two, low, slightly wrinkled. Ovary large, almost glabrous. Pollinia friable, over- 

 hanging the stigma; rostellum a functionless rudiment. The above is abbreviated 

 from the original diagnosis. The figure of the lip in the text is not acuminate, but 

 nearly as broad as long. The original specimens were found in shade on chalk towards 

 the end of July near Ventnor, Isle of Wight (where it was scarce and threatened with 

 extinction by ivy), by the late Mr Hunnybun. The locality is unknown, and attempts 

 to rediscover it were unsuccessful. 



Drs T. and T. A. Stephenson named this plant Helkborine viridiflora (Rchb.) 

 Wheldon and Travis forma vectensis, i.e. as a form of the dune plant now known as 

 Epipactis dunensis. Later they transferred it to the subsequently described E. leptochila 

 as a variety (/.£. p. 205 (1921)). In August, 1927, a small colony of abnormal E. lepto- 

 chila was found near Nonington, Kent, which Dr Stephenson said were in exact 

 agreement with his vectensis as far as stem and leaves were concerned, but the flowers 

 had perished. In 1919 I found five plants of E. leptochila near Mold in which the 

 flowers were pendent, and only opened at the tip, resembling Fig. D, /.B. p. 3 (191 8) 

 {vectensis). I now think this was probably vectensis, or very near it. I could not find 

 a trace of it in subsequent years. It had completely disappeared. I beUeve that both 

 it and the Nonington plants were degenerate and dwindling forms of E. leptochila, 

 rather than varieties, and were starved plants on the verge of extinction. Probably 

 vectensis was in the same condition, abnormal and struggling for existence. In 195 1 

 (August 8th), Mr P. M. Hall showed me a very scattered colony of similar plants 

 near Winchester, very dwarf, frail and inconspicuous, with few, pendent flowers, 

 which in some cases did not open at all. It had evidently a hard struggle for existence 

 in spite of self-fertilisation. In this form the lip is very small and triangular, not 

 acuminate as in the type, and almost flat, not properly developed into hypochile and 

 epichile, the former being a mere shallow depression. 



The original Latin diagnosis was as follows (J.B. p. 38 (1919)): 

 " Epipactis viridiflora Rchb. var. nov. leptochila a typo differt caulibus altioribus 

 (2-7 dm.) s£epe aggregatis ; foliis inferioribus saspe ovatis ; sepaUs acuminatis, 1 2-1 5 mm. 

 longis, 4 mm. latis; labello protinus prominente; hyperchilio orbiculari, 4 mm. 



