152 NATIVE BRITISH ORCHIDACE^ 



Genus XVI NEOTINEA Rchb. f. 



Column very small, 3-lobed, with a stigma on each side-lobe. Pollinia 2, with 

 relatively large loosely attached pollen-packets and very short caudicles. Viscidia 2, 

 enclosed in a pouch. 



Small herbs with entire tubers, dense spike, and very small flowers with coherent 

 sepals and saccate spur. Only one species. 



The structure of the flower is hard to make out. The plant has been allotted to the 

 following genera by various authors : Orchis, Satyrium, Ophrys, Gymnadenia, Habenaria, 

 Caloglossum, Himantoglosstm, Aceras, Peristylus, Tinea and finally Neotinea. 



Wliilst declaring himself a decided opponent of the view that the same generic 

 name could not be used both in the animal and vegetable kingdom, Reichenbach f. 

 nevertheless quite unnecessarily changed the name of the genus from Tinea (a genus 

 of moths) to Neotinea. Neotinea is a connecting link between Gymnadenia and Orchis, 

 combining the stigmas of the former with the anther, pollinia, and rostellum of the 

 latter. Vide also second paragraph of previous page. 



Neotinea Rchb. £ in De pollin. Orch. gen. ac struct, p. 9 (1852). 



I. Neotinea intacta Rchb. f. 

 PI. 31 ; PL F, fig. 4 (p. 123). Irish Orchid^ Dense Flowered Orchid 



Tubers two, ovoid; roots few, short. Stem 20-30 cm. or more, erect, often flexuous, 

 cylindrical, basal sheaths brownish, acute, membranous. Basal leaves 2-3, near 

 together, oblong obtuse, mucronate, spotted (spots small, often in interrupted lines 

 parallel with the'nerves), sometimes unspotted, with about three principal transparent 

 nerves on each side of mid-rib, with a fainter nerve between each pair. Stem leaves 

 erect clasping the stem, narrower, acute, the uppermost bract-Hke, adpressed. Spike 

 cylindrical, narrow, dense, often one-sided. Flowers very small, white, more rarely 

 pink, ovoid in appearance, as they do not open wide. Bracts membranous, ovate- 

 lanceolate or lanceolate, whitish or reddish towards the tip, acute, sometimes with a 

 tooth at the side, 1-3 -nerved, from two-thirds to nearly as long as the ovary. Ovary- 

 short (under i cm.), twisted, pale green, glabrous, spindle-shaped, with three slightly 

 raised ridges. Sepals connivent, forming a nearly closed helmet, coherent at base, 

 free at the tip, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, acute, greenish white or pale rose, the 

 lateral concave at base. Petals linear, very narrow, acute, greenish, i -nerved. Lip 

 very small, equal to or exceeding sepals, 3-lobed, spreading or pendent, white or 

 rose, with two or three pale rose or violet markings at the deeply channelled base, 

 side-lobes very narrow, Imear, acute, usually shorter than mid-lobe— the latter linear 



