OPH 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



OPH 



197 



be outwardly applied to the same purpose. It flowers in 

 May and June: as it grows naturally in woods, and thickets, 

 the shady part of any garden, especially in a moist soil, will 

 be a proper place to plant it. 



6. Ophrys Cordata; Mountain Ophrys, or Least Tway- 

 blade. Bulb fibrous ; stem two-leaved ; leaves cordate. They 

 grow above the middle of the stem, being between heart- 

 shaped and triangular, broad, terminating in a small pro- 

 jecting point; flowers few, in a short spike. Lightfoot 

 remarks, that the whole plant is of a tender and delicate 

 texture ; the leaves smooth, about half an inch wide at the 

 base ; the flowers in a thin spike ten or twelve in number, 

 green, often turning red in decay. Native of the northern 

 parts of Europe, in moist woods. In England it is found in 

 boggy ground, in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Westmoreland : 

 as on Ingleborough ; between Sheffield and Chatsworth, 

 Almondborough, and Kighley, in Yorkshire; Kendal and 

 Longsledale, in Westmoreland; in marshy places by the sides 

 of rivulets; and in many places on the Highland mountains 

 of Scotland. It flowers in June and July. 



** With round Bulbs. 



7. Ophrys Lilifolia; Lily-leaved Ophrys. Bulb roundish ; 

 scape naked ; leaves lanceolate ; lip of the nectary entire ; 

 dorsal petals linear; flowers red. Native of the swamps of 

 Virginia and Canada. This and the two following species 

 require to be planted in bog-earth, in a moist shady border, 

 or in pots with bog-moss and earth, set in pans of water. 



8. Ophrys Loeselii ; Dwarf Ophrys, or Twayblade. Bulb 

 roundish ; scape naked, three-cornered ; lip of the nectary 

 obovate; flowers herbaceous, from three or five to eleven. 

 Native of Denmark, Sweden, Prussia; and found in England, 

 on Hinton, Feversham, and Fulbourn moors, near Cambridge. 



9. Ophrys Paludosa ; Marsh Ophrys, or Twayblade. 

 Bulb roundish; scape almost naked, five-cornered; leaves 

 rugged at the top; lip of the nectary entire; flowers in a 

 raceme, very many, yellowish green; the two side-petals 

 ovate oblong, from reflex erect, the two_ inner lateral ones 

 linear, recurved, the single upper one straight, forming the 

 arch for the stamina; lip of the nectary lanceolate, ovate, 

 reflex, entire. Native of bogs, in Sweden, Russia, Germany, 

 and Great Britain. Found between Hatfield and St. Alban's, 

 and in Romney marsh; also on Gamlingay bogs, where it 

 grows in great plenty among the Sphagnum; at Hurst Hill, 

 Tunbridge Wells; in Hallinghall wood, near Loughborough ; 

 Buddon wood, and Stocking wood, near Leicester; on Caw- 

 stone and Felthorp heaths, in Norfolk; and between Russ- 

 land Chapel and Thwaite Moss, in Furness Fells, Cumber- 

 land. It flowers in June and July. 



10. Ophrys Monophyllos ; One-leafed Ophrys. Bulb 

 round ; scape naked ; leaf ovate ; lip of the nectary entire ; 

 culm eighteen inches high, firm, simple; stipules very small, 

 sharply lanceolate. Native of Russia and Switzerland. 



11. Ophrys Alata. Bulb round; stem leafy; leaves lan- 

 ceolate; lip trifid, the middle segment very short. Native 

 of the Cape. 



12. Ophrys Muscifera; Fly Ophrys. Bulbs roundish ; 

 stem leafy; lip of the nectary convex, with three divisions, 

 the middle segment cloven; leaves three or four, sheathing 

 the stem at the base, lanceolate, pale green, smooth, shining, 

 marked with numerous longitudinal nerves, the intermediate 

 space covered with a thin, somewhat pellucid, puckered skin, 

 giving them a silvery hue ; flowers in a long thinly scattered 

 spike, sometimes fifteen in number, but seldom more than 

 four or five; the three outer petals linear, with reflexed 

 margins, the upper one forming right angles with the others ; 

 the two inner thread-shaped, spreading, resembling the 



antenna! of an insect, deep reddish brown, fringed with 

 short hairs, fixed to the upper lip of the nectarium, which 

 is hooded, covering the stamina; lower lip three-lobed; side- 

 lobes linear, entire; middle somewhat ovate, bifid, with 

 reflex margins, covered with a velvety down, reddish brown, 

 and with a bluish spot on the centre, which is naked. The 

 whole extremity resembles a fly, to which this blue spot 

 greatly contributes. There are several varieties; as the 

 Fly-shaped, the Great Fly, the large Green Fly, the Blue 

 Fly, and the Yellow Fly Ophrys. Native of Sweden, Nor- 

 way, Switzerland, Austria, Carniola, France, Italy, and Great 

 Britain; where it is found about Wrothen and Northfleet in 

 Kent; Harefield in Middlesex; Croydon in Surry; Hinton, 

 Feversham, Fulbourn, Linton,the Devil's Ditch, andChippen- 

 ham, in Cambridgeshire; Bath Hills near Bungay; and East- 

 ham wood in Suffolk; on St. Vincent's Rocks near Bristol; in 

 Plumpton woods near Ulverstone ; at Rushton in Northamp- 

 tonshire: at Aspley in Nottinghamshire; in Barrowfield 

 wood and Brigstear moss, Westmoreland; and in most cal- 

 careous pastures. It flowers in May and June. This, with 

 the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, and eighteenth species, 

 may be preserved in gardens, though not propagated there. 

 The best time to remove the roots from the places where 

 they naturally grow, is just before the stalks fall, for at that 

 time they may be easily discovered, and are beginning to 

 rest, so that the bulb will be fully formed for flowering the 

 following year, and will not shrink ; but when they are 

 removed at the time when they are in action, the bulb 

 designed for flowering the following year, not being fully 

 ripened, will shrink, and frequently perish. The roots 

 should be taken up with large balls of earth round them, 

 and be planted again as soon as possible. When they are 

 removed into a garden, they should be so placed as that the 

 soil and situations may be as nearly as possible similar to 

 those from which they were taken. Such as grow in moist 

 pastures, should be planted in shady moist borders; those 

 which are inhabitants of woods, may be planted under trees ; 

 but such as grow upon chalk hills, should have a bed of 

 chalk prepared for them in an open situation ; and when 

 they are fixed in their several places they should not be dis- 

 turbed; for provided they are kept clean from weeds, the less 

 the ground is disturbed, the better the plants will thrive, and 

 the longer they will continue. Mr. Curtis observes, that he 

 has not yet heard of these plants being propagated by seed, 

 and that it is to be wished that some intelligent gardener 

 would exert himself in making experiments to raise them in 

 this way. 



13. Ophrys Apifera; Bee Ophrys. Bulbs roundish; stem 

 leafy ; lip of the nectary three-lobed, the lobes bent in under- 

 neath, shorter than the petals. Haller has mistaken this for 

 the preceding species. Height of the stalk, from half a foot 

 to a foot ; the leaves ovate-lanceolate, underneath silvery. 

 with linear fibres, frequently imperfect, and of a brown 

 colour; bractes large, sheathing, green, and of equal length 

 with the flowers, which are from three to six. The root 

 appears to possess the same virtues with those of the Orchis 

 whence Salep is made, but being much smaller, is not worth 

 cultivating on that account. This singularly beautiful plant 

 is not uncommon on our calcareous soils, near woods, and in 

 meadows. It can scarcely be found at all in the vicinity ot' 

 London, owing to the rapacity of florists, who root up all 

 that can be found for sale. It has been found near Charlton 

 Church, and Chisselhurst in Kent, a well as on Trunhiil 

 downs in the same county; about Harefield in Middlesex; 

 in Madingley wood; at Hinton, Feversham, Fulbourn, Bui- 

 rough green, Chippenham, and Linton, in Cambridgeshire ; 



