OECHIS TWAYBLADE. 277 



The Man Orchis (Aceras anthropophora), is a slender plant, 

 with little insignificant flowers, and no spur. Its colour is 

 greenish-white, with a yellow lip ; it also frequents chalky 

 ground. 



The Musk Orchis (Hermmium monorchis), is a very small 

 plant, with a spike of a few green flowers, without spurs, and 

 which are very delicately scented. It favours chalky districts. 

 Wiltshire produces these two curious Insect Orchises. The 

 Fly Orchis (Ophrys muscifera, Plate XV L, fig. 4), looks like a 

 stem with flies crawling up it, and the Bee Orchis (0. apifera), 

 bears as close a similitude to a collection of bees. 



The Spider and Drone Orchises are rare Kentish plants. 



The generic name of this family of Insect Orchises is Ophrys, 

 signifying to blacken ; it is supposed that this is in allusion to 

 a custom of the Roman ladies of blackening their eyebrows 

 with these plants. 



The Creeping Goodyera (Goodyera repens), is an Alpine 

 plant, with white spiral spikes. We have not found it. But 

 all the members of the Listera or Twayblade family are in my 

 hands. Their calyx is spreading, nearly flat, and without a spur. 



The common Twayblade (Listera ovata), has two large coarse\ 

 leaves resembling those of the Greater Plantain, from between 

 I which the slender spike of insignificant green flowers ascends. / 

 ' It is frequent in all our woods, and often in the fields adjoining/ 

 Vthem. 



The Heart-leaved Twayblade (L. cordata), is a very slender 

 plant ; its stem is a mere thread, and its tiny root seems to 

 take no hold of the earth, only to rest lightly among the dead 

 leaves and twigs. The small spike boasts eight or ten little 

 brown flowers, and the pair of light green heart-shaped leaves, 

 half way up the stem, form the principal part of the plant. 



The Bird's-nest Listera (L. nidus-avis), is a curious plant, 

 almost like a Broom Rape. Its fleshy pale brown stem is 

 clothed with scales, and the calyx and corolla are of a uniform 

 brownish hue. There are no leaves, and the matted fibres of 



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