NEOTT/£yE— EPIPACTIS 75 



diam., 3-4 mm. alto; epichilio cordato acuminato (cuspide longa acuta) angustissimo 

 (zb 8 mm. longo, 4 mm. lato, ubi latissimum est) viridi albo-marginato ; callis duobus 

 irregulariter rugosis albis interdum pallida roseis; rostello evanescente" (J.B. p. 38 

 (1919)). 



The "type" referred to was E. dunensis, at that time supposed to be E. viridiflora 

 Rchb. 



Habitat. Shady woods. Horsley, Surrey! Oxon., Tahourdin! Maidenhead! 

 Gloucester, W. Matliieson! Salop, C. E. Salmon (/.B. p. 21 (1921)). Sussex, 

 Tahourdin. Luton, Kent, Babington. Bomere Pool, Salop, Babington, Burton! 



Epipactis leptochila Godfery, /.B. p. 146 (1921). E. viridiflora Rchb. 

 var. leptochila Godf.,/.B. p. 37 (1919), with analytical PI. 553; and p. 67 (1926), 

 with Pis. 575 and 576. "E. media Fries" Babington (?). 



Fertilisation. The nectar in the cup of the lip, and the presence of a rostellum 

 in some of the newly opened flowers, show that these were organised to attract 

 insects and secure the transport of the poUinia from one plant to another. In speci- 

 mens from Harden Park, Surrey, on July 24th, 1925, both pollinia had been removed 

 from three flowers, leaving a little pollen along the top edge of the stigma. In some 

 spikes from Maidenhead, June 21st, 1925, one flower had no pollinia and no pollen 

 on stigma, and another had no pollinia, but had a slight fringe of poUen on the upper 

 edge of the stigma. Mr W. Mathieson of Shepscombe, Gloucester, once saw a wasp 

 visit E. leptochila, and afterwards go to a flower of E. latifolia with pollen on its head. 

 The rostellum is usually present in bud, and in the flower when it first opens, though 

 sometimes it appears not to have been developed. I once saw a rostellum still 

 existing in the two topmost flowers, but these may have opened simultaneously. 

 Generally it has disappeared by the time the next flower above it has opened. If 

 touched with a pencil a few strings of viscid matter can be withdrawn, but the 

 pollinia do not come away smartly as in E. latifolia. Nevertheless I succeeded in 

 removing one whole pollinium in this manner, but it needed long contact with the 

 pencil to secure adhesion. Wasps, however, remain a long time on a flower sucking 

 nectar, so that the weak viscid matter has time to set. Pollinia are sometimes, though 

 as far as I have seen very rarely, removed by insects, but this can only happen within 

 a few hours of the opening of the flower, owing to the early disappearance of the 

 rostellum. 



The flowers, however, appear to be mainly self-fertilised. The anther juts forward 

 for about half its length over the slanting upper edge of the stigma, causing the 

 pollinia also to project forwards. They are joined at the apex, thicker and slightly 

 divergent downwards. In all other British species of Epipactis (except E. dunensis), 

 the apex of the poUinia comes in contact with the rostellum and becomes firinly 



