238 NATIVE BRITISH ORCHIDACE^ 



Mr C. B. Tahourdini saw a specimen in Hants, with the long narrow Hp and short 

 side-lobes of TrolB and an indefinite appendix. The flower was wliite, faintly washed 

 with yellow-green. He thought it might be fairly described as a white Trollii. He also 

 found in Sussex a peloric form of 0. apijera (PL 58 A), in which the Hp was pink 

 and petal-like (but much larger than the petals) and in shape suggestive of that of 

 TrolB? Mile Camus found at Vence, above Nice, a spike in which one flower was 

 normal 0. apijera, whilst the other flowers showed the same variation as Trollii.i 

 A spike from Dorset (Sir M. Abbot Anderson) showed Darwin's hypothetical anther 

 ai probably the first anther to be suppressed) fully developed with pollinia (PL 5 8 

 C), of wliich I have only known one previous instance (in a spike of O. arachniti- 

 formis at Hyeres). The flowers of the former were more or less deformed, and showed 

 an approach to Trollii. A second spike also from him was similar, the bottom flower 

 in each spike practically normal. 



Var. albida Gamier and Poulter (var. albiflora Rolfe).4 Sepals white. Still grows 

 near Bordean, Hants. (!), whence it was originally described 133 years ago. In all 

 species of Ophrjs with coloured sepals that I have seen the sepals are occasionally 

 white, in the case of 0. arachnitijormis in some places and seasons predominantly so. 



Habitat. Usually a calcicole plant, thoroughly at home on chalk downs, limestone 

 and oolite, and (rarely) also found in sand, as at St Ouen's Bay, Jersey, from which 

 island chalk and limestone are entirely absent. Perhaps the plant benefits from cal- 

 careous fragments of shells, for Spiranthes autumnalis, another limestone plant, occurs 

 in similar circumstances. It is, however, not confined to calcareous soils, being found 

 on the Greensand in Kent (Smith's Cat. PL S. Kent, p. 5 3), also on stiff Lias Clay, 

 Kimmeridge Clay and Oxford Clay (Druce, letter of May 22nd, 1922). Owing to its 

 self-pollinating ability, it is often abundant where it occurs. In Ireland it occurs in 

 pastures, drift banks, sandhills, etc., and is rather rare, but is abundant on clayey 

 ground about Youghal. Sandhills near Rush {Cjb. Hib. p. 345). Flowers June 

 to July. 



Distribution. Not infrequent from Kent to Devon, extending to N. and S. Wales, 

 York, Durham and Westmorland {B.E.C. p. 394 (1913)), and has been found in 

 Lanark (Druce). 



Var. chlorantha. Bristol. Gloucester (1760). Isle of Wight (P. M. Hall, as 

 flavescens). A form with white sepals and cowslip-yellow lip was found in Kent in 

 1873 (Hanbury, F/. Kent). 



Var. Trollii. Bristol (Wliite), V.R. Warwick (B.£.C. p. 129 (1917))- Seaton, 



' Tahourdin, Notes on British Orchids, 1926-7. 



» Ibid. Notes for 1924 and 1925. A similar form was found at Seaton, N. Devon, and another 

 at Reigate, whicli latter, according to Mr J. G. Baker, was figured by Reichenbach as 0. Trollii. 

 J.B. p. 248 (1882). 



3 Camus, Icon. p. 325 (1929). ■* Annual Hampshire Repository, vol. i (1799). 



