502 ORCHTDACE^.. (ORCHIS FAMILY.) 



more or less, the two lower covering the base of the lip. Lip oblong, short- 

 stalked or sessile, the lower part involute around the column, and with a cal- 

 lous protuberance on each side of the base ; the somewhat dilated summit 

 spreading or recurved, crisped, wavy, or rarely toothed or lobed. Column 

 short, oblique, bearing the ovate stigma on the front, and the sessile or short- 

 stalked (mostly acute or pointed) 2-celled erect anther on the back. Pollen- 

 masses 2 (one in each cell), narrowly obovate, each 2-cleft, and split into thin 

 and tender plates of granular pollen united by elastic threads, and soon ad- 

 hering at base to the narrow boat-shaped viscid gland, which is set in the 

 slender or tapering thin beak terminating the column. After the removal of 

 the gland, the beak is left as a 2-toothed or 2-forked tip. — Roots clustered- 

 tuberous ; stem more or less naked above, leaf-bearing below or at the base. 

 Flowers small (ours all white or greenish-white), bent horizontally, 1 -3-ranked 

 in a spike, Avhich is commonly more or less spirally twisted (whence the name, 

 from cnreipa, a coil or curl, and &vQos, flower). 



* Flowers in 3 ranks, crowded in a close spike : leaves at the root and base of 

 the stem present at the flowering season. 



1. S. latifolia, Torr. Low; naked stem or scape 4-9' (rarely 12') high, 

 smooth ; lea ves all next the base, oblong or lance-oblong (1-4' long, 3 - 9" wide) , 

 3-5-nerved, contracted into a sheathing base; spike narrow (1-3' long); 

 flowers small (2-3" long); lip quadrate-oblong, yellowish on the face, not 

 contracted in the .middle, thin, wavy-crisped at the very obtuse or truncate 

 apex, the small callosities at the base oblong, marginal and adnate for their 

 whole length ; gland and beak of the stigma short. — Moist banks, Vt. and 

 W. Mass. to Mich, and Minn., south to Del. and Md. 



2. S. Romanzoffiana, Cham. Stem leafg below and leaf ij-br acted above 

 (5- 15' high) ; leaves varying from oblong-lanceolate to grassy-linear; spike 

 dense, oblong or cylindrical (1-4' long); perianth curved and the summit 

 manifestly ringent, pure white (4" long), the sepals and petals all connivent 

 in the upper portion or galea; the lip ovate-oblong, contracted below the rounded 

 icavg-cremdate much recurved summit, otherwise entire, the callosities at base 

 globular and smooth ; gland oblong-linear and the 2-horned beak of the stigma 

 short. — High and cool bogs, N. New Eng. to Mich, and Minn., and north- 

 ward; Norfolk, Conn. -(Barbour) ; central N. Y. July, Aug. (Ireland.) 



3. S. cernua, Richard. Stem leafg below and leafg-bracted above (6-20' 

 high) ; leaves linear-lanceolate, the lowest elongated (4-12' long, 2-9" wide) ; 

 spike cylindrical, rather dense (2-5' long) and with the white fragrant flow- 

 ers either pubescent or nearly smooth ; perianth horizontal or recurving (4 - 

 5" long), the lotcer sepals not upturned or connivent with the upper; lip oblong 

 and very obtuse when outspread, but conduplicate or the margins much in- 

 curved, wavy-crisped above the middle, especially at the flattish and recurved- 

 spreading apex, the callosities at the base prominent, nipple-shaped, somewhat 

 hairy ; gland of the stigma linear, in a long and verg slender beak. — Common 

 in wet places, especially eastward and southward. Sept., Oct. Very variable 

 in size and foliage, often nearly losing its root-leaves at flowering time. — A 

 variety, growing in dry ground but retaining its leaves and blooming some- 

 what later, has greenish cream-colored or yellowish stronger-scented flowers. 

 IE. Mass and Del. 





