November, 1903. 



KNOWLEDGE 



245 



later. Our meadows may also yield one or other species 

 of the remarkable geuus Ophrys, in which the mimicking 

 of animal forms by the flowers is carried to a truly 

 wonderful degree. The beautiful Bee Orchis is the most 



FiQ. 6. — Flowei'i of Bee Orchis {Ophrys apifera). Natural size. 



frequent of these, with showy pink sepals, and velvety 

 recurved labellum, looking marvellously like a bee's 

 body. It ranges over England and the greater part, of 

 Ireland, and, like all the members of its genus, loves a 

 limy soil. The Fly Orchis (0 musci/era), which has a 

 similar distribution, is a smaller plant, with dark red flowers 

 which mimic the appearance ot a fly — head, body, wings 

 and legs complete. 0. Arachnites and 0. aranifera, the 

 Early and Late Spider Orchis, are local English chalk 

 plants. Allied to the foregoing are the Stan Orchis 

 {Aceras anihropophora), a little yellowish Orchid with a 

 long lobed labellum with an outline resembling the 

 human body, with its arms and legs ; and the Musk 

 Orchis {Hefininium Monorchis), a small green plant 

 widely spread over the East of England. 



Epijxicfis and Cephalaiilhera, the Helleborines, are 

 rather tall plants with leafy stems and lax spikes of 

 flowers. In root, stem, and leaf they are less succulent 

 than the genera we have been considering. In the 

 structure of the flower they are simpler. The root-stocks 

 are tufted or creeping, and devoid of tubers. They are 

 chiefly plants of woods and rough ground. The best 

 known is Eplpacfis latifolia, Broad-leaved Helleborine, 

 with a stem a couple of feet high, clothed with broad 

 pointed leaves, and terminating in a long spike of greenish 

 flowers mottled with purple and brown. The Marsh 

 Helleborine {E. paliistris) is a shorter plant with fewer 

 leaves and flowers ; the flowers are very beautiful, being 

 large and white, or tinged with pink, with a large lip 

 contracted above, broadened and delicately fringed below. 

 It inhabits wet ground, and has already been mentioned 

 as creeping extensively. E. atw-ruheiis is a very local 

 plant wliicii haunts the bare limestone pavements of 

 England and Ireland ; its blossoms are dark red in colour. 

 CephaJanthem includes three British species, all handsome 

 tallish j)lants with lanceolate leaves. C. y rand [flora and 

 C. t'lixifiiliii have white lilossoms composed of five almost 

 equal segments iuul a short labellum tinged with yellow ; 

 the former has its headquarters in the south of England, 

 the latter is widely but locally distributed in our islands. 



The Red Helleborine (C. rubra) is a very rare chalk plant, 

 with purplish-red blossoms. 



Spiratifhes is an interesting genus, easily recognised 

 by the spiral arrangement of the flowers. S. aufum- 

 nalig (Autumnal Lady's-tresses) is a small plant 

 flowering in August, and widely spread in dry pastures 

 on a limy soil in England and 

 Ireland. The flower-stem rises several 

 inches from a little tuft of leaves, and 

 bears a spike of small deliciously fra- 

 grant white blossoms, arranged in a 

 single spiral row. The Summer Lady's- 

 tresses {8. festivalii) is a taller plant, 

 with minute whitish blossoms arranged 

 as in the last. [t is an extremely 

 rare bog plant, which has been found 

 in Hants and Worcester. Finally we 

 have .S'. Bomanzo_fiiana,ihe most famous 

 of all British Orchids, of which, till 

 lately, the only known European 

 station was in Co. Cork ; it has lately 

 been found in several spots in the 

 north of Ireland, in the valley of the 

 River Bann. It is larger than either 

 of the preceding, with a spike of ex- 

 quisitely fragrant greenish - white 

 flovrers arranged in three spiral rows. 

 Goodycra repens, the Creeping Lady's- 

 tresses, is almost the only British 

 Orchid which has a northern distribu- 

 tion. It is frequent in the north of 

 Scotland, coming as far south as Cum- 

 berland. It is an inhabitant of fir- 

 woods, and its root-stock creejis exten- 

 sively amid the decaying fir-needles 

 which cover the ground. The slender 

 flower-stem rises from a cluster of 

 rather broad short leaves, and bears 

 a SjiirantJiix-Yike lax twisted spike of 

 smiill white flowers. 



Of Lisfera, or Tway-blade, we have 

 two species. L. ovata is a common plant, growing with the 

 familiar species of Orchis and Habeuaria in meadows, etc. 

 It is easily recognised bv its nearlv opposite pair of large 

 egg-shaped leaves, and long narrow spike of small greeuisli- 



FiG. 7.— Autumnal 

 Lady's -tresses 

 {Spiranthen autum- 

 nalis). Two-thirds 

 natural sizn. 



Fio. 8. — Flower of Tway-blade (Listera ocata). 

 1, Side view ; 2, front view, x 2. 



yellow flowers. L. cordata, the Mountain Tway-blade, is a 

 delicate tiny plant which has its home among the moss 

 under deep Heather on mountains. Its leaves are heart- 

 shaped, its blossoms extremely small. The root-system of 

 LUtira consists of a bundle of fleshy root-fibres surrounding 

 a bud, and devoid of tulers. 



The remaining genera of British Orchids, six in number, 

 are represented by only one species each. Most of them 

 have already been mentioned in one or other connection. 



