C 32 ORDER 138. ORCHIDACE^E. 



3 C. cdndidum TVilld. St. leafy ; Ivs. oblong-lanceolate, acute ; fl. terminal, soli* 

 tary ; sep. elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate, lower scarcely bifid at apex ; petal 

 lance-linear, longer than the laterally compressed white lip ; sterile stamens lanceo- 

 late, obtuse. Border of wood?, prairies, Penn. to Ind. (Plummer), Wis. and Can. 

 St. about If high, simple. Lvs. 3 to 6' by 14-', sheathing the stem. Ovary pedi- 

 cellate. Lip I' in length. Petals and sepals nearly 2'. May. Well distinguished 

 by its sterile stamens as by its color. 



4 C. spectabile Sw. St. leafy ; Ivs. ovate-lanceolate, acuminate ; lobe of the 

 column elliptic-cordate, obtuse ; sep. broad-ovate, obtuse ; lip longer than the 

 petals, cleft before. A tall, superb species, found in swamps, Can. to Ky. and 

 Car. Stem thick, 2 feet or more high, hairy. Leaves G 10' by 2 4', veined, 

 plaited, hairy. Flowers 2 3 on each plant, very large. Lip white, striped with 

 purple, 2' long, 1 J- broad ; upper segment largest, lower one smaller, composed of 

 2 sepals completely united. Jl. 



5 C. acaule Ait. Scape leafless, 1-flowered ; Ivs. 2, radical, elliptic-oblong, rather 

 acute ; lobe of the column roundish-rhomboidal, acuminate, detiexed ; pet. lance- 

 olate ; lip longer than the petals, cleft before. A beautiful plant, in dark woods, 

 Car. to Arc. Am. Leaves largo, plaited and downy. Scape 10 14' high, with a 

 single lanceolate bract at the base of the large, solitary flower. Sepals V long, 

 the two lower completely united into a broad lanceolate one beneath the lip. 

 Petals lateral, wavy. Lip 2' by 1', purple, forming the most showy part of tho 

 flower. May, Jn. (C. humile Sw. 7) 



6 C. arietinum Ait. HAM'S HEAD. St. leafy; Ivs. elliptical, striate-veined ; 

 Sep. 3, distinct (the 2 lower not united), linear-lanceolate, tho upper oblong-ovate, 

 acuminate ; 2 lateral pet. linear ; lip as long as the petal, saccate, obconic. In 

 damp woods, Can., Me., Vt. (Dr. Phelps) to N. Y. and Wis.? Stems usually 

 clustered, flexuous, 8 12' high, lower part sheathed. Leaves 3 5, 2 3' by 

 \ 1', sessile, amplexicaul. Flower mostly solitary, with a leafy bract at base. 

 Segments about equal in length, tho upper one as broad as the other 4 together. 

 The singular form of the lip readily suggests the name of this curious plant. May. 



2. OR'CHIS, L. (Gr. op%i$, the ancient name.) Flower ringcnt, 

 sepals and petals similar, some of them ascending and arching over the 

 column ; lip turned downwards, produced at base beneath into a spur 

 which is distinct from the twisted ovary; stamen 1, anther 2-cclled ; 

 pollinia 2, one in each cell, composed of numerous waxy grains im- 

 plicated in a cobweb tissue; pedicellate and attached to 2 glands of the 

 stigma which are contained in one common little pouch. Fls. several, 

 large, bright-colored, in a spike or raceme. 



O. spectabilis L. Lvs. 2, nearly as long as the scape ; lip obovate, undi- 

 vided, crenate, retuse ; segments of tho perianth straight, the lateral ones longer; 

 spur clavate, shorter than the ovary, bracts longer than the flower. This pretty 

 little plant is found in shady woods and thickets, among rocks, etc., U. S. and 

 Can. Hoot fasciculate. Leaves few, radical, ovate, 3 G' long, to % as wide. 

 Scape 4 G' high, acutely angled, with a lanceolate, acute bract and 3 5 largo, 

 ehowy flowers. Segments of the perianth purple, ovate-lanceolate. Lip and 

 spur white or whitish, each about 8" long. May, Jn. 



3. GYMNADE^NIA, R. Brown. ORCHIS. (Gr. yvpvos, naked, ad?p, 

 gland.) Anther-cells parallel or converging below ; glands of the 

 stigma to which the pollinia arc attached naked. Otherwise as in Orchis. 

 1 G. nivea. St. very slender, lowest leaf long, linear, acute, the others (G to 12) 



very much smaller, subulate, bract-like ; fls. 20 to 30, small, in an oblong-cylin- 

 dric spike ; lip (white} oblong, crenulate or wavy, longer than the petals, produced 

 behind into a filiform spur which is nearly twice longer than the ovary; column 

 very short ; pollinia at length naked. Ga. (Pond) to Fla. and La. (Hale). Root 

 fibrous, producing tuberous corms. St. 1 to 2f high, leaf 6 to 8' long, 3 to 4" 

 wide. Fls. white, very delicate, rather smaller than in Nos. 2 and 3. (Orchis 

 nivea Baldw.) 



