306 collinson's notes. [^October, 



" June 10th. — About eight miles from Rome, in the road to 

 Tivoli, on the left-hand, a little short of the Solfaterra river, 

 I found the yi-een-winged Bee Orchis, in full bloom, growing close 

 to the road, among the bushes. Could perceive no difference be- 

 tween this and the English sort. Brought home roots and speci- 

 mens with me. It is a most extraordinary circumstance that a 

 green-winged Bee Orchis should be in flower so late as the 

 above period in so warm a latitude as the Roman one; it is 

 therefore obvious that there must be some difference between 

 this described species and that I observed before, on the Ronci- 

 glione side of Rome, as well as our English species, though I was 

 not able to perceive it. 



" Not far from the above spot, in our way to the Solfaterra lake, 

 famous for its floating islands (though I think very insignificant 

 ones), I was struck with a glorious kind of Bee or Fly Orchis 

 growing among the bushes, of which I brought away many roots 

 and specimens. The flower was more of the Fly Orchis shape 

 than the Bee ; the wings of a violet-pale-purple ; the lip very 

 long j of the Fly shape, of a yellowish, rich dark velvet, the mid- 

 dle crossed with a dark purple zone ; the leaves resembled those 

 of the Bee Orchis, but rather larger. Another very singular 

 Orchis, of the Spur kind, and with palmated roots, grew in 

 company with the above, of a sweet scent and dingy-purple 

 colour. 



" In May we observed, growing on the banks beside the road 

 leading from Ronciglione into the Campagna of Rome, and 

 just at the entrance into it, a very beautiful kind of Orchid, of 

 a rich crimson colour, bulbous-rooted, a most rare species, un- 

 like any known to us. Brought away roots and specimens. As 

 the plant dried, the richness of the colour faded, to my great 

 concern. 



" Orchis papilionacea? — In May, 1 770, in a noble forest of Oak, 

 Beech and Chestnut, just beyond the lake and town of Bolsena, 

 on the left-hand, in the road to Viterbo, I observed a most 

 curious kind of bulbous-rooted Orchis, 0. provincialis ?, of a 

 brownish-yellow colour, a most glorious spike of flowers, grow- 

 ing on the mossy banks in the little glades, at the roots of the 

 trees. Observed the same species a few miles on the other side 

 Bolsena, between that town and Aquapendente, growing in the 

 banks by the roadside, in which banks was also abundance of a 



