OBCHIS. 275 



which gives so delicate a flavour to sweetmeats, is the produce 

 of an Orchis of that name ; and the Salep of commerce, which 

 is said to contain more nutriment than any other vegetable 

 substance, is merely dried Orchis roots reduced to powder. 

 Orchises are cultivated in the south of Europe for the pro- 

 duction of Salep, and our common Orchis is as well fitted as 

 any for the purpose. The beauty of the foreign Orchids, as 

 exhibited in our hothouses, needs no comment. The Orchis 

 family is the first in the tribe. 



The common Purple Orchis (drchis mascula, Plate XVL, 

 Jig. 3), is familiar to us all, flowering early in May, and con- 

 trasting its rich spike of crimson-tinted blossoms with those 

 of the Cowslip and Primrose. Its leaf, all spotted with purple, 

 is very handsome. Its only drawback is its smell, which is 

 very disagreeable. 



The Green-winged Orchis (O. morio), greatly resembles the 

 Purple one ; the general hue of the blossoms is the same, but 

 the two side sepals, instead of being coloured like the corolla, 

 are striped with green. The flowers are fewer, and the offensive 

 smell is quite absent. The leaves are of a light green, and not 

 spotted. I have found it in abundance in the county of Durham, 

 and Edward describes it as covering fields in Kent in June. 



The Spotted Orchis (O. maculata), grows everywhere in 

 woods and field-borders. We have it from several counties. 

 Its spike is very crowded, and the little pale flowers are prettily 

 streaked and spotted with purple. Its leaves are spotted also, 

 but the markings are much smaller than in the leaves of the 

 Purple Orchis, and are more conspicuous, because of the paler 

 tint of the leaf. 



Kent also produces the Butterfly Orchis (O. bifolia). It has a 

 very tall spike, and the flowers are placed at some distance from 

 one another ; this is a very good thing, for the lip is very long 

 and narrow, and the spur also, and they need some space, or they 

 would look quite confused. The colour of the flowers is creamy, 

 and the scent is most delightful. I have gathered it in great 

 abundance in hilly pastures both in Yorkshire and Cheshire. 



