OPHRYDEyE—SERAPIADINM— ORCHIS 189 



O. incarnata, but slightly larger. Lower bracts exceeding the flowers, sometimes 

 suffused with purple. Sepals erect, reflexed, spotted. Lip lozenge-shaped, broader 

 than in 0. incarnata, fairly dark red-lilac with pronounced red-purple lines and spots, 

 mid-lobe but little longer than side-lobes as a rule. Spur rather longer than in 

 0. incarnata, stout, conico-cylindrical, coloured. The parentage of 0. latijolia is sug- 

 gested by the ringed spots, or numerous small spots on the sometimes bluish-green 

 leaves, the bright colour of the flowers, the conspicuous lip-markings, and the 

 length and stoutness of the spur in some cases. 



PL G, fig. 6, shows one of a group of 1 1 exactly similar plants found by P. M. Hall 

 in June, 1931. The parentage of O. incarnata is shown by the wide spur-mouth, 

 coloured incurved bracts and long yellowish green leaves. He considered the other 

 parent to be 0. maculata, but the ringed leaf-spots, conspicuous loop-patterns on the 

 lip, the unusual length and stoutness tluoughout of the spur plead in favour of 

 O. latijolia. The two upper central flowers suggest 0. maculata by the marked tri- 

 lobed lip, but the left-hand flowers are very like 0. latijolia. Hants., Surrey. Flowers 

 June. 



ORCHIS INCARNATA var. PULCHELLA x LATIFOLIA 



PL 45 



Tubers not dug up. Stem hollow, 30 cm. tall, angled above. Leaves erect, lowest 

 with recurved tip, long, narrow, keeled (15-18 cm. x i -20-1 -40 cm.), sUghtly 

 hooded, entirely suffused with violet above, about the same width for two-thirds 

 of their length, gradually tapering to an acute tip, very slightly narrower at the base 

 than in the middle. Spike short, ovate, lax, few-flowered. Flowers rather large, 

 violet, the whole central area of the lip occupied by a dark red-violet patch of solid 

 colour. Bracts green, linear-lanceolate, tapering to an acute point, lower nearly 

 twice as long as ovary, upper exceeding the buds. Sepals long, narrow, lanceolate, 

 pointing forwards, upper more or less connivent with petals. Petals lanceolate 

 obtuse, nearly equal to sepals, connivent. Lip obovate, entire with a slightly pro- 

 jecting small obtuse lobe at apex, bright red-purple with pale violet margins. Spur 

 short, conical, half as long as ovary, which is twisted, with purple ridges. Throat 

 of spur gaping. Stigma bordered by a red-violet line. 



A striking plant owing to the long narrow upright leaves flushed with violet (as 

 in Epipactis violacea), and the long obovate lip with its conspicuous red-purple central 

 area. Only one specimen was seen. I visited the spot twice in subsequent years, but 

 could find no trace of it. The lip with its striking red-purple centre so exactly resembles 

 PL 49, fig. 7, of Bark's Iconographie des Orchidees, wliich is labelled "O. latijolia variety 

 with dark purple flowers ", that there can be little doubt that 0. latijolia was one of 



