NEOTTIEyE—SPIRANTHES 87 



roots, ovate or linear leaves, and spirally arranged flowers, with spreading side-sepals, 

 connivent upper sepal and petals, trough-like lip with expanded frilled reflexed tip, 

 and two nectar-secreting globular nipples at the base. 



The genus contains about 80 species, chiefly inhabiting the northern temperate 

 regions, but extending into tropical Asia, and in America as far south as Chile. 

 Sixteen species occur in the United States and Canada, and one in Australia. This 

 extraordinarily wide distribution is a proof of the very ancient character of the genus. 

 S. Rowan^Oj^am, which has its home in N. America, is found in N. Ireland, but 

 nowhere else in Europe. 



KEY TO GENERA 



A. Flowering stem without leaves (or with withered remains) at the side of the 



rosette of leaves (which will flower next year). 



1. Leaves short, in a rosette, flowers small, arranged spirally in a single rank, 



S. autumnalis 



B. Flowering stem surrounded by the more or less long erect leaves. 



2. Flowers in a single rank. S. aestivalis 



3. Flowers in three ranks. S. Romanzoffiana 



I. SpIRANTHES autumnalis Richard 



PI. 14 (p. 88). Lady's Tresses 



Roots two, rarely 3-5, carrot-shaped, thick, tapering to an obtuse point, hard, 

 smooth, pale brown, with short transparent hairs, monostelic (Text-fig. 9). Stem 

 7-15 cm. (up to 32 cm. abroad), with or without remains of last year's leaves at base, 

 round, solid, with transparent glandular hairs extending to the leaf-sheaths, pale 

 green, with several bract-like sheathing lanceolate close-fitting upper acuminate leaves 

 with membranous edges and 3-5 nerves. Leaves about four or five, in a rosette 

 on one side of the flowering stem (not surrounding it) which lasts through the winter 

 and flowers the next year, short, ovate, pointed, with a broad sheathing stalk and 

 thick keel, acute, mucronate, stiif, bluish green, glabrous, transparent-edged, with 

 5-7 rarely 9 nerves. Spike 3-12 cm. long, 7-20-flowered, slender, flowers very 

 small, white, sweet-scented by day, in a single rank, twisting spirally round the axis,' 

 more rarely all turned to one side. Bracts lanceolate, tapering, sheathing the ovary, 

 and about the same length, incurved, white-edged, 3-nerved. Ovary short, slug- 

 shaped, bent at the apex (maldng the flower stand out at right angles), green, as a 

 rule not twisted, with three rounded ridges, gland-tipped hairs, and a stalk adherent 



' It is really the axis which twists. 



