220 FLOWERING PLANTS OF THE RIVIERA 



purple with tufts of purple hairs. Spur half length of ovary, compressed at apex 

 and emarginate. 



Grassy places and dry hills and woods, rather rare. April-June. 



O. militaris L. Stem erect, strong, 1-2 ft. high. Lower leaves large, 

 oblong. Bracts much shorter than ovary. Sepals united almost to the apex in 

 form of a helmet, pale lilac without, purple within. Lip 3-lobed with linear 

 lateral divisions ; the middle division with short diverging lobes and a small 

 tooth between them, and dark tufts of hairs. Spur half length of ovary, 

 pendent. 



Woods, fields, and stony places, rather rare. May-June. 



O. simia Lamk. Leaves oblong. Bracts much shorter than the ovary. 

 Lip 3-lobed, with middle division divided into two narrow lobes nearly as long 

 as the lateral divisions. All the lobes entire, very narrow, curved upwards. 

 Spur pendent, much shorter than ovary. Flowers in a short oval spike, pink or 

 pale lilac with spotted lip. 



Borders of woods and dry slopes, rare. April-June. In the N. of the Var, 

 and above Menton, Utelle, Berre, Biot, etc. 



O. tridentata Scop. Plant less than a foot high. Leaves oblong- 

 lanceolate. Bracts as long as the ovary or shorter. Sepals united to form a 

 helmet, acuminate. Flowers in a dense ovoid or subglobular head, varying in 

 colour from pale pink to purple. Lip horizontal, 3-lobed, the middle lobe broad 

 at the end, obcordate, with a small tooth bent back under the limb. Spur pen- 

 dent, half length of ovary. Pollen masses greenish. 



Dry woods and stony places. April-June. 



O. lactea Pair. = O. tridentata var. acuminata O. G. Plant smaller 

 than the last, from which it is distinguished by its very pale pink or whitish 

 flowers, spotted with purple, longer and more conical head, and the lateral 

 lobes ot the lip being obliquely obovate. 



Stony hills and borders of woods. March-May. 



O. coriophora L. (Plate XXIX). Stems less than a foot high. Leaves 

 numerous, close, linear -lanceolate. Bracts longer than ovary. Flowers small, 

 crowded in a dense cylindrical spike, pale dull red and green. The sepals 

 united into a dull dark red helmet; lip 3-lobed, livid red and spotted, the middle 

 lobe entire, lanceolate ; lateral lobes toothed at the edge. Spur thick, conical, 

 curved, shorter than ovary. Pollen masses yellow. 



Grassy places and thickets. May-June. In the Var Uie only form appears 

 to be the var. f ragrans G. G. (0. f ragrans Pollini), which has a sweet but sickly 

 odour, larger and paler flowers in a denser spike. The spur is more clearly 

 curved. O. COflophora L. is the plant more frequently found in the lower 

 mountains, though also on the Cote d'Azur itself. 



0. papilionacea L. Stem about a foot high. Leaves linear-lanceolate. 

 Bracts pinkish, 3-5 nerved, longer than ovary. Spike rather lax, with 6-16 

 flowers which are partly scarlet and partly magenta. Sepals veined with red or 

 green. Lip large, somewhat fan-shaped, usually crenately toothed, with brilliant 

 stripes above. Spur pendent, shorter than ovary, nearly straight, conical at the 

 base. Pollen masses blackish. 



Meadows, borders of woods, and pastures. April-May. Rather rare, but less 

 so in Liguria, especially in the Chestnut region. 



O. Morio L. Green-winged Orchis. Leaves oblong. Bracts rather pink 

 as long as the ovary. Sepals converging over the column and small petals in 

 form of a helmet. Lip with 3 obtuse lobes, the middle one notched. Spur as- 

 cendant, shorter than ovary. Flowers rich purple, violet, rose or white streaked 

 with green. Though recorded in books we have nevtr seen the type (as it grows 

 in England) in the south, and agree with Mr. Bicknell that " perhaps all our 

 plants are the var. picta = O. pictn Lois., though the density or laxity of the 

 spike and the size of the flowers are very variable" (" Fl. of Bordighera and 

 S, Remo," p. 264). O. picta has smaller and paler purple flowers, longer spur, 



