118 ORCHIDACE^ 



LIMODORUM PRECOX, Walter 



The identity of Limodorum prcecox, Walter, now remains to 

 be determined ; and for assistance in this work I am indebted 

 to Mr. Spencer Moore, who has kindly compared my material with 

 the type specimen in Walter's herbarium preserved at the British 

 Museum. To Mr. Moore a collection was sent of all the species 

 which have a simple-spu-alled inflorescence, known to occur in the 

 United States, with the exception of S. longilahris, Lindl. Notes 

 accompanied the specimens, which described the characteristics 

 of each species as at present understood ; the points of difference 

 between S. vernalis and the specimens supposedly Limodorum 

 'pr(BCOX, Walter, were clearly defined. Mr. Moore made careful 

 comparisons, and concluded that without doubt a Georgian Spi- 

 ranthes collected by Mrs. Augustus P. Taylor near Thomasville, 

 which I had determined provisionally as " S. i^rcecox ? " is iden- 

 tical with Limodorum j^rcBCOX, Walter. The Georgian plant in 

 question is representative of a species widely distributed in the 

 Southern States, commonly though incorrectly called S. tortilis, 

 Richard. Mr. Moore in his letter, which was addressed to Dr. R. 

 G. Lea\4tt, says in part : " You will be glad to learn that the type 

 of Limodorum 'prcBCOX in the Walter herbarium is a thoroughly 

 serviceable one, and that a careful comparison of your plant with 

 it leaves no doubt as to the absolute identity of the two. To 

 make assurance doubly sure, I asked Dr. Rendle, who is the orchid 

 authority at the Museum, to give me his opinion, which he kindly 

 did in the above sense. This was, of course, with flowers of the 

 two moistened and set side by side." 



SPIRANTHES GRAMINEA, Lmdl. 



On a previous page I have mentioned Spiranthes graminea, 

 Lindl., as a species nearly alhed to S. vernalis. My studies have 

 been confined to a single sheet in the Gray Herbarium which 

 represents Hartweg's Mexican collection numbered 224, and to 



