OPHKYDEjE—SERAPIADINyE—ORCUIS i8i 



of 0. masa/h found at the Bridge of Allan, Scotland, was described by Dr Masters. ' 

 On Lake Como, April 28th, 1925, I found a specimen in which each side-sepal had 

 developed a spur, about half the length of the normal spur, which was also present. 



Habitat. Rather moist meadows and pastures (often with cowslips), open woods, 

 banks in woods, copses, tliickets, and shady places. Flowers April to June according 

 to locality. In west of England flowers two weeks earHer than 0. ffjorw.^ Ascends 

 to 2300 ft. on Brandon, Ireland, but is rarely seen above 1000 ft. (Scully, F/. Kerry). 

 Occurs in Sussex on wliite sand (Tahourdin). 



Distribution. Throughout Great Britain and Ireland, extending to the Orkney 

 and Shetland Islands. Locally frequent, sometimes abundant. Channel Islands, 

 native, hillsides and thickets. Very local and rare in Jersey; rather rare in Guernsey; 

 Sark. Southern Scandinavia to the Iberian and Balkan peninsulas, Italy, Central and 

 S. Russia, Caucasus, Asia Minor, Persia, Urals, N. Africa, taking it as an aggregate 

 species, including 0. spedosa Host and O. Olbieiisis Renter, the former of wliich 

 possibly and the latter most probably are deserving of specilic rank. 



Orchis mascula L., Fl. Suec. ed. 2, p. 310 (1755). O. morio S mascula L., 

 Sp.pl. ed. I, p. 941 (1753)- 



ORCHIS MASCULA x MORIO 



O. morioides Brand ap. Koch3 



PL 40, figs. I, 2 (p 159) 



Leaves unspotted (but if the mascula parent had spotted leaves, the hybrid would 



probably also have them). Sepals spreading, with strong green veins, more acute 



than in 0. morio. Mid-lobe of lip longer than side-lobes. 



I have seen two forms of this, (i) Among a few spikes of 0. mascula sent me by 



Dr Stephenson from Shifnal, Salop, I found most unexpectedly a spike of this hybrid, 



nearer to 0. mascula than to 0. morio, single flowers of which are shown in PI. 40, 



figs. I and 2. Flowers pale rather bluish rose. Lateral sepals spreading with marked 



green veins. Lip broader than long, toothed, paler and slightly spotted in the middle, 



side-lobes broader than in 0. mascula, mid-lobe broad, truncate, shallow as in 



O. morio, but longer than the side-lobes. Spur shorter than in O. mascula, straight. 



The general appearance and colour were so like 0. mascula as to be easily passed 



over as being that species, but the spreading green-veined sepals and the broad 



truncate mid-lobe of the lip showed clearly the parentage of O. morio. A single 



specimen was found at Blackball Rocks, Durham, by Prof. Heslop Harrison.4 



(2) A specimen found by me near Martigny, Switzerland, was like O. morio in colour 



and form, but the spreading sepals, longer mid-lobe, and very upcurved spur, as 



I ]ourn. Linn. Soc. Bot. p. 549 (1867). » White, Fl. Bristol, p. 5 5 5- 



3 SjH. ed. HaU et Wohlf, p. 2427 (1904). t B.E.C. p. 638 (1928). 



