ORCHIDACEAE 315 



8. HABENARIA Willd. 



Caulescent herbs, with cord-like or tuberous roots. Leaves alternate, sheathing at the 

 base. Flowers in terminal spikes. Perianth of various colors, or white, often conspicuous. 

 Sepals equal or nearly so, distinct or cohering at the base, the lateral 2 usually spreading. 

 Lateral petals unequally 2-parted. Lip drooping or spreading, with a more or less con- 

 spicuous spur at the base, mostly 3-parted. Column very short : anther 2-celled : sacs 

 elevated, each with a slender appendage at the base. Pollen-masses coarsely granular 

 with short tails. Stigma erect, with narrow appendages. Glands naked. Capsule more 

 or less elongated, angled or ribbed. 

 Spur about as long as the ovary. 



Bracts not surpassing the flowers : spikes few-flowered. 



Leaves basal or nearly so: spur club-shaped. 1. H. distans. 



Leaves scattered along the stem : spur filiform. 2. H. Nuttattii. 



Bracts surpassing the flowers : spikes many-flowered. 3. H. repew. 



Spur much longer than the ovary. 



Middle sepal less than 10 mm. long : spur less than 6 cm. long. 



Leaves largest at the base of the stem, those of the stem broadest near the 



base : middle sepal suborbicular. 4. II. Simpsonii. 



Leaves largest about the middle of the stem, those of the stem broadest at the 



middle : middle sepal ovate. 5. H. quinqueseta. 



Middle sepal over 10 mm. long : spur over 10 cm. long. 6. H. Habenaria. 



1. Habenaria distans Griseb. Hoots coarse or tuber-like : stems scape-like, 2-3 dm. 

 tall, slender : leaves several at the base of the stem ; blades oblong or elliptic, or slightly 

 broadest above the middle, 4-15 cm. long, acute or abruptly acuminate ; stem-leaves mostly 

 reduced to partly sheathing scales : spike few-flowered, lax : bracts surpassing the ovaries : 

 sepals oval or broadly ovate, 5-6 mm. long : lateral petals 2-parted, the upper segment nar- 

 rowly oblong, the lower linear : lip 6-8 mm. long, 3-parted ; segments linear, spreading : 

 spur club-shaped, about as long as the ovary. 



In low pine lands, Florida. 



2. Habenaria Nuttallii Small. Roots cord-like, relatively slender : stern 2-4 dm. 

 tall, leafy, rather slender : leaf -blades broadly linear to linear-lanceolate, 5-20 cm. long, 

 or shorter above, acute or acuminate, erect or ascending, sheathing at the base : spike 

 6-12 cm. long, rather few-flowered, narrow: bracts lanceolate, shorter than the flowers: 

 middle sepal 4 mm. long, suborbicular, broader than long, notched at the apex ; lateral 

 sepals 5 mm. long : lateral petals 4-5 mm. long, the narrower segment longer than the 

 broader one : lip 3-parted ; middle segment 4 mm. long ; lateral segments J- longer : spur 

 filiform, about as long as the ovary : capsules oblong-prismatic, a little over 1 cm. long. 



In swamps, Florida to Louisiana. 



3. Habenaria repens Nutt. Hoots fibrous : stems 3-6 dm. tall, usually stoutish : leaf- 

 blades oblong-lanceolate, to linear-lanceolate, 5-30 cm. long, acute or acuminate, 3-nerved, 

 sheathing at the base : spike 10-30 cm. long, closely many-flowered : bracts lanceolate or 

 linear-lanceolate, surpassing the flowers : perianth greenish : sepals various, the middle one 

 ovate-orbicular, 5 mm. long, the lateral oolong, slightly curved, 6 mm. long : lateral petals 

 with the broader segments, 5 mm. long, slender segment \ longer : lip 3-parted ; middle 

 segment 5 mm. long ; lateral longer and more slender than the middle one : spur fili- 

 form, about as long as the ovary. 



In swamps or low grounds, Florida to Louisiana. 



4. Habenaria Simpsonli Small. Koots cord-like, sometimes accompanied by tubers : 

 stems 2-4 drn. tall, conspicuously leafy to the middle : leaves mainly on the lower half of 

 the stem, and there sheathing it ; blades ovate or sometimes oval-oblong, 3-10 cm. long, 

 acute or acutish, spreading, clasping, those above the middle of the stem much smaller 

 than the rest and more remote : bracts ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate : middle sepal 

 suborbicular, 7 mm. long ; lateral sepals 9 mm. long : lateral petals with the larger seg- 

 ments oblong, 6 mm. long, curved, the other segment filiform, spreading, fully twice as 

 long : lip 5-parted ; middle segment linear, 10 mm. long ; lateral segments about longer : 

 spur about twice as long as the ovary. 



In dry hammocks, near Manatee, Florida. 



5. Habenaria quinqueseta (Michx. ) C. Mohr. Roots fibrous : stems 2-5 dm. tall, 

 leafy to the inflorescence : leaves largest about the middle of the stem ; blades oblong to 

 oblong-lanceolate, 4-10 cm. long, or shorter above, broadest about the middle : spike 

 8-15 cm. long, rather few-flowered : perianth white : sepals various ; the middle one ovate : 

 8-9 mm. long, obtuse : lateral petals with the broader segment 9-10 mm. long, the nar- 

 rower one nearly twice as long : lip 3-parted ; middle segment linear, 12-13 mm. long : 

 lateral segments filiform, about 2 longer : spur about twice as long as the ovary. 



Michauxii Nutt.] 

 In sandy or gravelly soil, South Carolina to Florida and Louisiana. 



