N£0rT7E.£— EPIPACTIS 77 



habellum sepalis breviore, hypochilo dilute viride intus roseo-maculato, epichilo 

 deltoideo acuto albido vel roseo-tincto apice recurvato, callis binis humilibus levibus 

 interdum deficientibus. Stigma oblongum marginibus superioribus pronis. Kostellum 

 deficiens vel mox evanidum. Pollinia primum fragilia, clinandrio tumescentia et 

 super marginem stigmatis effusa. 



" Hab. Sand-dunes amongst Salix repens, on the coast of Lancashire and Anglesey. 

 In flower June-July." 



Rhizome short, with few short wiry roots, buried very deep in the sand. Stem 

 erect (20-40 cm.), solid, slender, stiff", green and downy above, violet-tinged and 

 glabrous below, and with 2-3 ribbed loose sometimes funnel-shaped or green-tipped 

 sheaths. Leaves in two opposite ranks, oblong-lanceolate, stifl", acute, slightly 

 mucronate, often folded, sometimes wavy-edged, twice or thrice as long as the 

 internodes, the lowest broadly ovate, obtuse, the uppermost bract-like; principal 

 nerves i 4 on each side of mid-rib, with fainter intermediate ones. Raceme spike- 

 like, flowers 7-19, small, yellowish green, inconspicuous, horizontal, later drooping. 

 Bracts linear-lanceolate, acute or obtuse, spreading, lower longer than the flowers. 

 Ovary (±1 cm.) short-stalked, tapering to the base, spindle-shaped to pyriform, 

 almost glabrous, yellow-green, sliining, finally pendent. Sepals short (zt 7 mm.), 

 ovate, obtusely pointed, concave, slightly hooded, keeled, firm, glabrous, yellow- 

 green. Petals similar, slightly shorter and narrower, pale, translucent, not keeled. 

 Lip greenish white or flushed rose, base cup-shaped, olive-green mottled with rose- 

 red within, 7-9-nerved, edges turned down in a fold in front; epichtle broadly 

 triangular with recurved tip, finely toothed, white tinged green or rose, with two 

 nearly smooth bosses and often a small central ridge. Column short, stout. Anther 

 almost sessile, yellowish. Pollinia yellowish, almost split, pollen-grains finely netted. 

 Stigma transversely oblong, upper edges sloping downwards, lower forming a lip. 

 Rostellum globular if present, but usually absent. Seeds slug-shaped with rounded 

 apex, nearly twice as long as and narrower than those of £. rubiginosa, but only 

 about half as long as and broader than those of E. latifolia; mesh of testa open with 

 very slender "wires"; embryo lemon-shaped, dark coloured, opaque. Distinct in 

 appearance from those of aU other species, their rounded contour, open mesh, and 

 clean-cut brownish embryo are neat and pleasing, and make them easy to recognise. 



Habitat. Sand-dunes, or sandy ground between the dunes, amongst Salix repens. 

 Flowers June to July. 



Colonel C. T. Green, who has known the Lancashire plant for over 40 years, says 

 its proper habitat is amongst Salix repens in the open. It also now grows among the 

 more recently planted fir copses, where it is much larger owing to their shelter, but 

 in all cases was growing there before the trees were planted. 



Distribution, Coasts of Lancashire! and Anglesey! CoutainvUle (Manche), 



