2Q^ NATIVE BRITISH ORCHIDACE.E 



at base, the uppermost sometimes green-tipped and leaf-ltke. Leaves usually 6-xo 

 erect, more or less spreading, distant, flat, sUghtly narrowed at base, broadest about 

 the nxiddle, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, up to about i6 cm. long ><^^ ^^J^ 

 gradually decreasmg m length and notably m breadth as they ascend the stem (the 

 upper bract-hke, awl-shaped, tapering to a fine point, sessile, 3-nerved minu^ y 

 denticulate, often spotted with purple at the edges); aU acute or obtuse (sometnnes 

 with a little point or mucro), with large transversely oval or °blongsometnne con- 

 fluent brown-purple spots, becoming smaller on the upper leaves (rarely aU leaves 

 unspotted), rather dark green or grey-green above, greyish or whitish green and 

 sonLhat glossy beneath. Lowest leaf (except in elodes) usually short, broad, rounded 

 at apex Spike conical or ovoid, later cylindrical, obtuse, dense, many-flowered. 

 Flowers of medium size, pale lilac or rose with red-violet markings, sometuTies so 

 bright as to make the flower look dark-coloured, sometimes very famt, or even absent 

 in pure albinos, sometimes very faintly scented. Bracts linear-lanceolate, gradually 

 tapering to a fine point, green, sometimes tinged with violet, usually not conspicuous, 

 the lowest sometimes exceedmg the flowers, the upper generally shorter than rarely 

 exceeding, the buds, keeled, 1-3-nerved with faint cross-veins, edges minutely denticu- 

 late and spotted with purple, densely dotted beneath with mmute wliitish papflte, 

 and sHghtly so above. Ovary stalldess, cyUndrical, twisted, often flushed with violet 

 withsi^ratheracutelongitudinal ridges. Sepals narrow, lanceolate, obliquely enlarged 

 towards base, obtuse or acute, 1-3-nerved, pale lilac or rose, the lateral spotted, erect 

 or spreading, the upper unspotted, comiivent with petals to form a hood, or erect, 

 concave. Petals with tips crossed (rarely erect and spreadmg), ovate-lanceolate to 

 linear-lanceolate, more or less obtuse, shorter than sepals, i- or famtly 3-nerved, 

 unspotted, often edged with violet. Seeds: cells of testa most delicately ^spiraUy 

 reticulate (Rchb. Icoms, xiii, 66). Apex of testa curved and pointed Cods (nearly 

 straight transverse Imes or wrinldes) "loose" (Dymes, Seeds 0/ the Marsh Orckds, 

 Linn. Society, June 21st, 1923) (PL D, fig. 3 (p- 94))- 



From a sHde prepared by Mr Dymes it appeared that some seeds were long and 

 narrow, but others were shorter and broader. They were not always curved or pomted 



at the apex. , . , -i 1 i^.,, 



Sub-sp. elodes. Embryo about 30 per cent, larger than in the type, coils loose, less 

 developed Pymes, loc. at.). Testa shorter and broader, cell-walls thin, embryo 

 broadly oval, nearly as broad as testa in specimens on shde. 



Var O'Kellyi. Testa long, narrow, almost straight, coils close and pronounced 



(Dymes loc. cit.). Shde showed some seeds with shorter and moderately broad testa, 



"coils" very marked and close together, and embryo nearly as broad as testa. These 



microscopic differences are of doubtful value for distinguishing between varieties. 



Lip extremely variable, 3-lobed, with rounded shoulders (more rarely wedge- 



