MIDSUMMER PLANTS 127 



hours searching in the hot August sun- botanists fortunate enough to know the 



shine, I at last found the little marsh spot. Several times had I visited the 



twayblade (Malaxis paludosa) in a Forest for the purpose of finding this 



spongy bog near Brockenhurst. This rare orchid, but never could I discover 



is the smallest of our British species, the position of the bog in question, 



varying from one to four inches in At length, only last summer, a botani- 



height ; and withal very difficult to cal friend sent me the welcome infor- 



find, its inconspicuous spikes of light mation that he had been told the 



greenish-yellow flowers resembling so whereabouts of this sacred locality, 



closely the colour of the sphagnum We accordingly met at Brockenhurst 



on which it grows. But more memor- Station, and after a ride of some five 



able in my botanical annals was the or six miles, we left our bicycles against 



day on which I first saw Spiranthes an oak-tree, and following the course 



aestivalis, the summer lady's-tresses. of a forest stream soon came upon 



This exceedingly choice plant, bearing a stretch of sphagnous bog which 



a slender spiral spike of white flowers, answered the description given by my 



is one of the rarest of British orchids, friend's informant. Starting at oppo- 



being found only in the New Forest, site ends we at once began a careful 



and perhaps in one locality in Worces- and difficult search, sinking at every 



tershire. It was not known to exist step up to our knees in the soft treach- 



in England till the year 1840, when erous swamp. The sundew was there 



it was discovered by Mr. Branch, or, in abundance, and sweet-gale, and 



according to Watson, by Mr. Jansen, on cotton-grass, and yellow narthecium, 



" a small tract of sphagnous bog " and Rhyncospora alba, a characteristic 



between Lyndhurst and Christchurch. bog-rush ; but for some little time no 



In the following year the locality was sign of Spiranthes could be seen. At 



visited by the distinguished botanists last, almost at the same moment a 



Dr. Bromfield, the author of the Flora shout from each of us proclaimed that 



Vectensis, and Mr. Borrer, who found the long-sought treasure had been 



the plant " in considerable plenty ; found. Some dozen spikes only we 



some of the plants being a foot in saw, but doubtless others existed, 



height." Since then this " small tract In most of the Forest bogs both 



of sphagnous bog " has been regarded the long-leaved and the round-leaved 



with much veneration by the few sundews are abundant, and in several 



