i66 NATIVE BRITISH ORCHIDACE^E 



11. Stem solid. Lowest leaf short, oval, the upper longer with conspicuous 



transverse oval spots ; bracts inconspicuous, narrow. Flowers pale lilac or rose, 

 sepals erect; lip 3-lobed divided to middle, side-lobes rhomboidal, mid-lobe 

 long (basic soils) or lobes sub-equal (limestone); spur straight, somewhat 

 enlarged at base. O. maculata 



1 1 a. Like 12, but lower leaf like the others, leaf-spots faint. Sepals narrow, hori- 

 zontal or drooping; lip broad, side-lobes rounded out, mid-lobe very short, 

 narrow; spur straight, very slender, hardly enlarged at base. 



O. maculata sub-sp. elodes 



12. Dwarf (10-20 cm.). Leaves short, ± 2.h cm. broad, spotted at tip. Flowers rich 



dark purple with crimson markings; spur conical, short, stout. 



O. purpurella 



13. Dwarf (zb 12 cm.). Leaves very narrow, frequently ring-spotted. Spike short, few- 



flowered (9-20); bracts coloured; flowers dull red-purple with reflexed side- 

 lobes, and small mid-lobe; spur stout conical. O. latifolia var. eborensis 



I. Orchis SIMIA Lamarck var. MACRA (Lindl.) 

 PI. 35. Monkey Orchid 



Tubers ovoid; roots few, short, rather thick. Stem 15-30 cm., round, solid, angled, 

 glabrous, greyish green, often purplish above, with 2-3 close-fitting acute sheaths 

 at base. Leaves about four, oblong, broad, rather obtuse, mucronate, folded, keeled, 

 slightly hooded, grey-green, unspotted, glabrous, glossy, with parallel nerves depressed 

 beneath, the upper oblong-lanceolate, acute, wrapped round the stem, the uppermost 

 tliin, membranous, lanceolate acuminate, sometimes bract-like. Flowers of medium 

 size, white, lobes of lip violet. In the type the helmet is ashen grey more or less 

 tinged, streaked and spotted with violet, the lip-segments bright rose-red (as in 

 PI. 34 B) to red-violet. Bracts membranous, semi-transparent, greenish, rose or 

 whitish, awl-shaped, tapering, acute, often ending in a rather long point, J-|, rarely 

 half as long as ovary. Ovary ± 10 mm., cylindrical, twisted, curved, with six violet- 

 tinged ridges. Sepals lanceolate acute, partly adherent, tips free, forming a rather 

 long open helmet, white or pale violet with minute violet dots, and 2-3 raised white 

 nerves. Petals shorter, linear acute, very narrow (i mm.), minutely denticulate, 

 wliite edged violet, adherent to sepals for half their length. Lip longer than sepals 

 with a long slender upturned linear violet arm-Hke segment on each side near the 

 base; mid-lobe straight, narrow, with parallel sides, forking into two narrow linear 

 divergent up-curled segments (legs) with a short taU-like appendix between, all deep 



