,^2 NATIVE BRITISH ORCHIDACE^ 



ORCHIS INCARNATA var. DUNENSIS x PRiETERMISSA 



Resembles O. pmtermissa, but with pale pink flowers as smaU as those of the var. 

 dumnsis, erect back-to-back faintly spotted side-sepals, and short conical slightly 

 curved spur resembling that of flesh-coloured O. incarnata. Leaves 16^185 cm., 

 erect unspotted, broadest 2 cm. above base. Lip-markings in one specimen like 

 incarmta, in the other like 0. pmtermissa. Two plants only seen, sand-dunes, 

 S. Wales, with the parents. June 20th, 1928. J.B. PL 556, %• 8 (coloured), Nov. 

 1920 (as 0. prcBtermissd). 



9. Orchis pratermissa Dr. 

 PL 46. Flat-lipped Marsh Orchid 



Tubers 2, palmate, 5-4-fid, with short or long tails; roots long, rather stout. Stem 

 20-40 cm. in long herbage sometimes nearly twice as tall, robust, more rarely slender, 

 4-9 mm. in diameter at the base with 2-3 brownish sheaths, hollow, but with tliicker 

 walls than 0. incarnata, green, glabrous. Leaves about five, 10-14 cm. long by 

 i.5c^2-5o cm. broad, "up to 21 cm. and 5-5 cm." respectively (Druce), oblong- 

 lanceolate, moderately acute, "thickened or slightly hooded" (Druce) at the tip, not 

 narrowed at the base, often broadest above the middle, firm, glabrous, green, often 

 grey-green or dark green, always unspotted, long-sheathed and rather distant, erect, 

 more or less spreading. Spike ovate to cylindrical, 5-10 cm., "rarely up to 17 cm. 

 loner" pruce). Flowers many, large, conspicuous, rather flat-lipped, pale mauve 

 or lavender, pale or dark red-violet, "dull rose, purple, often of the^ colour of 

 Rhododendron ponticum, reddish, rarely dark crimson, purple, or white" (Druce). 

 Bracts broad to rather narrow, spreading, not elbowed and incurved as m 0. tncar- 

 nata, as long as or longer than the flowers, "sometimes leafy" (Druce), often coloured, 

 the lower often considerably exceeding the flowers, the upper short, coloured. Ovary 

 spindle-shaped, 6-ridged, glabrous, twisted. Side-sepals spreading horizontaUy or 

 semi-erect, not as a rule back to back, the upper connivent with the petals or erect, 

 narrowly lanceolate, obtuse or acute, 1-3-nerved, as a rule unspotted. Petals shorter, 

 ovate-lanceolate, obtuse, concave, tips overlapping, forming a hood. Lip large, 

 broad, flat with upturned edges in early flower (later somewhat reflexed), very 

 shallowly 3-lobed at apex ("mid-lobe when present up to 2 mm. long", D^^ce), 

 broadly obovate or elliptical, sometimes wedge-shaped at base, as broad as or broader 

 than long, variable in size [" usually about 1 2 mm. broad by 9 mm. long" (Druce), 6-8 

 mm. long by 7-1 2 mm. broad (Stephenson)], thin in texture, range of colour as above, 

 paler in the centre, with very numerous minute spots often in radiatmg lines, more 



