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thinner and drier texture, like those of a grass, which, however, vary 

 much in breadth, the lowermost being sometimes very broadly lan- 

 ceolate, but the upper always narrower and considerably tapering at 

 the points, and from being in general more closely set, present a sort 

 of distichous arrangement in appearance only. The bracts, even be- 

 neath the undermost flowers, are extremely small, short and narrow, 

 and in those at the top of the stem very minute indeed. The flowers 

 are confined to quite the higher portion of the stem, are much closer 

 together or approximate, and are not found in the axils of any but the 

 greatly reduced leaves or bracts, hence they appear subspicate, like 

 those of Epilobium angustifolium for example, whereas in C. gran- 

 difolia, the flowers originate at or even below the middle of the stem, 

 and accompany the larger leaves, whence they assume a sort of race- 

 mose arrangement. In C. ensifolia the flowers are smaller, of a purer 

 white (not cream-coloured), and less erect, the ovary diverging more 

 or less considerably (sometimes nearly at a right angle) from the stem. 

 The perianth segments do not close so completely over the lip, and 

 the sepals are in this species narrower than the lateral petals, and so 

 acutely pointed as to be almost acuminate. The lateral petals them- 

 selves are also slightly pointed, and much broader in proportion than 

 in C. grandifiora. Moreover, the anterior margin of the lip is usually 

 slightly triangular and pointed, but this character I find liable to ex- 

 ception. Finally, C. ensifolia lasts a shorter time in flower, if it does 

 not begin to flower earlier than C. grandifiora, which continues in 

 blossom through a great part of June, whereas the other has all its 

 terminal buds open by the close of May in this part of England, and 

 was beginning to fade and look shabby on the 27th of that month, 

 when my last specimens were collected. Indeed, the flowers of this 

 species, from their more delicate texture, fade with singular rapidity 

 on being gathered, whilst those of C. grandifiora merely turn partially 

 brown. The specific characters of these species may be thus stated : 



Cephalanthera grandifiora. Leaves ovato- elliptical to elliptic- 

 lanceolate; bracts longer than the glabrous germen ; flowers distant, 

 subracemose, sessile, quite erect ; sepals and lateral petals obtuse, 

 connivent on the included, very blunt and rounded lip. 



ensifolia. Leaves somewhat two-ranked, the lower 



lanceolate, the superior very narrow, ensiform ; bracts much shorter than 

 the glabrous ovary, the highest extremely minute ; flowers approxi- 

 mate, subspicate, sessile, more or less diverging ; sepals narrower than 

 the acute lateral petals, subacuminate, connivent; lip included, ob- 

 tuse or slightly pointed. 



