Ram's-Heads in Witch Hollow 109 



made in Jul}^ through pine and cedar and mud-pond re- 

 gions, should have led to the discovery of more species 

 than he mentions. He writes of but three species of 

 Habenaria, one of Ladies' Tresses {Gyrostachys), and 

 one of Twayblade {Leptorchis liliifolia). To be sure, 

 he found the Great Round-Leaved Habenaria and the 

 two Purple- Fringed species in abundance, but there is 

 no record of a Cypripedium in his data save as reported 

 for Concord. 



Species of Orchis and Habenaria are among the old- 

 est orchids known in the records of ancient herbalists 

 and naturalists. Both of our native Purple-Fringed Or- 

 chises {Habenaria grandiflora and Habenaria psycodes) 

 are closely allied with Orchis morio, found so abun- 

 dantly in the fields of England. Pliny, in the time of 

 Christ, knew this plant as Orchis or Serapias, which 

 Fee has identified with the Orchis morio now known 

 in Europe. This species is more nearly related to 

 our Small Purple-Fringed Orchis than to the larger 

 species. 



The origin of the name Orchis arose from the ancient 

 lore of classical mythology. Orchis, a son of a rural 

 god named Patellanus, failed to observe the rules of 

 politeness while attending a festival of Bacchus, and 

 offended one of the priestesses with his rude behavior. 

 He was reported to the attendants for punishment, who 

 in anger tore him to pieces. His father Patellanus, 

 and his mother, that sweet nymph Acolasia, sought 

 the co-deities' influence, who, it is said, urged the su- 

 perior gods to command a flower to rise from the earth 



