jgg NATIVE BRITISH ORCHIDACE^ 



with 2-, membranous acute brownish sheaths at base, the upper sometimes with a 

 green leaf-Hke tip; height 10-35 cm. (a plant from Bnmsfield Bog,Glos., measured 

 51 cm ) in sandy ground near sea usually dwarf. Leaves 4-7, stiff, erect, long 

 lanceolate broadest^bout 2 cm. above base, tapering graduaUy to the acute hooded 

 tip, strongly keeled, glossy, glabrous, yellowish rarely bluish green, firm, sometm.es 

 almost fleshy, always unspotted, 2-4I cm. broad at base, sometimes narrow (± 2 cm.) 

 the middle leaves usuaUy reaching or exceeding the base of the spike, the lowest leaf 

 short trou gh-like, the uppermost sometimes bract-Hke. Nerves 2-3 on each side of mid- 

 rib with fahiter nerves between, and irregular trans verse veins, with innumerable mmute 



whitish dots between. Bracts lanceolate, tapering to a fine point, keeled green or 

 purphsh usually 3-nerved, the lower much exceeding the flowers, curvmg upwards 

 (sometimes forming a sort of cage from which the flowers protrude), the upper longer 

 than the buds so th;t the young spike ends in a tuft of bracts ; they often turn abruptly 

 upwards, forming a rounded elbow below the middle. Spike ovate, finally cylindrical, 

 thick, dense, many-flowered, bracts conspicuous in the early stage, but later the flowers 

 stand out more prominently, and are sometimes arranged (especially abroad) m 

 slic^htly slanting ranks. Flowers usually smaller than in other British marsh orchids 

 often appearing narrow and somewhat lozenge-shaped through the reflexed sides of 

 the lip pale rose with carmine markings (flesh-coloured), bright rose fading mto 

 dirty white, lilac or violet with red-purple markings, bright purple with bright 

 carmine markings (var. pulchella Druce), rarely pale yellowish, rich dark Indian red 

 (forma atrirtihrd) or white. Ovary sessile, cylindrical, with three broad and three 

 narrow ridges. Lateral sepals erect, reflexed, often back to back, obliquely lanceolate 

 or ovate-lanceolate, often spotted, 3-nerved; upper sepal narrower, lanceolate, obtuse, 

 hooded i-nerved, unspotted, connivent with petals, or only arched forwards. Petals 

 shorter, broad-based, oblong-lanceolate with 1-3 obscure nerves, conmvent. Lip as 

 long as or longer than broad, obovate when flattened, appearing narrow and often 

 oblong through the much reflexed sides (but sometimes almost flat), often nearly 

 entire, with short rounded rarely pointed mid-lobe only slightly separated from the 

 side-lobes, but sometimes more or less clearly 3-lobed at the apex, with rounded 

 irregularly crenate or even dentate side-lobes; sometimes wedge-shaped, widemng 

 downwards into three sub-equal shallow denticulate lobes. Markings two ± parallel 

 loops with square or rounded apex formed by continuous or interrupted crimson 

 or violet lines, sometimes faint or absent. Rarely the loops are replaced by spots or 

 broken lines, which also often occur in conjunction with them. The upper surface 

 towards the base is densely covered with minute erect papillas. Spur short, corneal 

 wide-mouthed, rounded at tip often shghtly curved, \-\ as long as the ovary, directed 

 downwards, with two walls, the outer coloured, the inner colourless, thicldy studded 

 inside with minute erect papilla;, with a considerable quantity of liquid between the 



