Wild Flowers East of the Rockies S3 



YELLOW-FRINGED ORCHIS (Habenaria ciliaris) 



is an attractive and rather common Orchis with a 

 tall leafy stem from 12 to 24 in. high. It is always 

 with a thrill of exultation that we, each year, first 

 spy the golden yellow spikes in the deep recesses of 

 a cold bog or swamp. The open blossoms have ex- 

 quisitely fringed lips, while the buds on the upper 

 part of the flower spike resemble little golden balls. 

 The spike is very closely set with flowers having 

 rounded petals, fringed lips and slender spurs about 

 an inch in length. The leaves are lanceolate, grad- 

 ualy diminishing in size as they approach the spike 

 and passing into the flower bracts. Pound from Me. 

 to Mich, and southwards. 



YELLOW CRESTED ORCHIS (H. cristata) has 

 orange-yellow flowers in a bracted raceme, the bracts 

 being of about the same length as the flowers. The 

 lip is ovate, copiously fringed; petals oblong, fringed 

 at the top; spur short, not more than half an inch in 

 length. Leaves narrowly lanceolate and growing 

 smaller as they approach the flower spike. This 

 Orchis flowers during July and August in peaty bogs, 

 from N. J. to Mo. and southwards. 



HOOKER'S ORCHIS (H. Hookeri) has a leafless 

 scape from 6 to 12 in. high, at the base of which are 

 two, broad, oval, shining, deep green leaves. The 

 ten to twenty flowers are yellowish green; lip lan- 

 ceolate and sharply pointed, less than half an inch 

 long; slender spur about one inch long. Flowers 

 during June and July in woods from Me. to M.'nn. 

 and south to N. C. 



ROUND-LEAVED ORCHIS (H. orbiculata) is 

 similar to Hookeri; the lip is oblong, obtuse and 

 about the same length as the spur. The two basal 

 leaves are almost round. It is common in rich woods 

 from Labrador to Alaska and southwards. 



