OPHRYDE^—SER API ADIN^— ORCHIS 



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flowers of Vedicularis verticillata, but did not see them actually visit 0. ktijol'm.^ 

 Darwin found that only 50 flowers out of 169 on nine spikes from Kent had had 

 pollinia removed.^ It cannot, however, be concluded that this is the usual proportion 

 removed, for this varies not only with the abundance of the insect concerned, but 

 also with the abundance of the plant. Darwin found that seven spikes with 3 1 5 

 flowers of 0. maculata only set 49 capsules, or seven on each plant.^ As the plants 

 were in larger groups than he had ever seen before, he thought this was probably 

 due to there not being enough insects to go round. 



In his Fertilisation of Floivers, H. Muller gives from his own observations the 

 following visitors: Apis mellifica L. $, Bombus senilis Sm., B.fragrans Poll., B. confusus 

 Schenck., 5. hortorum L., 5. lapidarius L., B. terrestris L., B. muscomm L., Eucera 

 longiconiis L. $, Halictus leuco^onius K. ?, Nomada sexfasciata Pz. ? and Osmia jusca 

 Chr. (= bicolor Schr.) ?. Darwin states that it is also visited by Diptera. 



ORCHIS LATIFOLIA x MACULATA. x Orchis Braunii Halacsy 

 Pis. 48 and 50, fig. 19 (p. 206) 



The characters of the parents may appear in varying combinations. Stem 20-40 cm., 

 hollow, in plants nearer O. maculata with only a slender central tube. Leaves lono-, 

 lanceolate, rather narrow, light green to darker grey-green with transverse oval, 

 ringed, or small spots. Spike dense, flowers rather large, bright-coloured. Sepals 

 spotted, usually erect or reflexed. Lip with rounded side-lobes and small apical lobe 

 as in 0. latifolia (or more or less deeply tri-lobed as in 0. waculata\ red-lilac to violet, 

 with red-purple double loops, lines, or spots. Spur rather long, tapering. 



Signs of O. latifolia: hollow stem, ring-spotted leaves, bright-coloured flowers (not 

 pale as in O. maculata), small apical lobe of lip, and rather bright-coloured lip-markings ; 

 of 0. maculata: nearly solid stem, long narrow transversely spotted leaves, rather 

 slender spur, more deeply lobed lip. 



To this hybrid probably belongs the Kilmarnock Orchid, often called Orchis macu- 

 lata superha, cultivated as a hardy garden plant by Miss F. Hope of Wardie Lodge, 

 Edinburgh, and figured in O.K. p. 113 (1920). It was remarkably handsome with 

 pronounced dark leaf-spots and spikes 7-9 inches long {O.K. p. 177 (191 8)). 



A specimen found by us near Megeve, Haute Savoie, was 40 cm. tall (including 

 spike 22 cm.), and towered over the abundant parents, of which O. latifolia was dark 

 red-purple and O. maculata nearly always pale lilac. The cross had hollow stem, dense 

 transverse spots on the leaves, very long spotted bracts, and pale lilac flowers, larger 

 than either parent, with bright red-violet markings, broad crenate side-lobes, small 

 mid-lobe, and conico-cylindrical spur, as long as the ovary. Another specimen had 

 ' H. Muller, Alpenblumen, p. 64. j Fert. Orch. ed. 2, pp. 33, 35. 



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