

Pink to Red Flowers 209 



A lovely pale pink orchis, with a single roundish leaf 

 growing at the base and roots composed of fleshy fibres. 

 The clusters of flowers are slightly fragrant. Each blos- 

 som has a large, protruding, flat lip of palest pink, spotted 

 with rose or purple, and divided into three lobes, the centre 

 one being notched. A wing-like sepal stands out on either 

 side, and the small petals and sepals are all pink, the arched 

 petal that is bent down over the stamens being spotted with 

 rose-purple like the lip. It is found in moist places and 

 grows to full perfection where very wet ground combined 

 with a full exposure to the sun is possible. 



CALYPSO 



Calypso bulbosa. Orchid Family 



Stems: with two or three membranaceous sheaths, and a linear bract 

 at the summit Leaves: leaf solitary, broadly ovate, petioled. Flowers: 

 drooping, pedicelled ; sepals and petals lanceolate, acuminate, long lip 

 inflated, saccate, with two short spurs below the apex. 



A solid bulb and coralloid roots, a single stem sheathed 

 by two or three loose brownish-green scales and surmounted 

 by a single narrow bract, a solitary broad leaf at the base, 

 and a single lovely mauvish-pink orchid blooming at the 

 summit, such is the Calypso. 



The sepals and petals of this dainty flower are like fairy 

 wings, its large sac, striped and mottled with deep rose 

 colour and variegated with yellow spots, tufted by fine white 

 hairs, resembling the body of some gay insect; thus the blos- 

 som appears to be poised lightly upon its stem like a beautiful 

 butterfly ready to flutter away at our approach. This effect 

 is heightened by the fact that it grows in the deep cool 

 forests, where its exquisite fragrant flowers form the only 

 spots of vivid colour and where it is sheltered by the vines 



