272 SUB-ALPINE PLANTS 



EPIPACTIS Adanson. 



Rather tall plants with leafy stems and purple, brown/or greenish 

 white flowers sometimes tinged with red, in a loose raceme. 

 Perianth spreading ; ' sepals ' and ' petals ' almost equal in size ; 

 the lip thick and concave at the base, the terminal portion broad, 

 with 2 protuberances at its base. 



About 10 species only, native in Europe, temperate Asia, N. 

 Africa, and N. America. 



Epipactis latifolia Swartz. Broad-leaved Epipactis. 



Rootstock shortly creeping, with thickish fibres. Stem 2 to 3 

 feet high, leafy. Leaves strongly ribbed ; lower ones ovate, 

 clasping the stem ; upper ones lanceolate and pointed, passing 

 into linear bracts, of which the lower are often longer than the 

 flowers. Flowers pendulous in a long unilateral raceme, greenish 

 purple in England, but usually yellowish green in Switzerland. 

 Sepals ovate-lanceolate. Lip small, the lower portion quite short. 



Shady woods and mountain thickets up to 5000 feet. June to 

 August. 



Distribution. Europe, temperate Asia, Siberia, Himalaya, 

 Algeria ; British Isles. 



Epipactis violacea Durand. 1 



Closely resembles the last and differing chiefly in the whole 

 plant being of a purplish green colour, and the inflorescence denser, 

 the flowers being partly greenish yellow and partly purple. It is 

 rarely seen in the Swiss forests in autumn. 



Distribution. Germany, Switzerland, France. 

 Epipactis atropurpurea Rafin. 



Plant 1-2 feet high, slender, pubescent, more or less purplish in 

 colour. Leaves oval or oboval, somewhat clasping. Spike lax, 

 unilateral. Flowers rather small, dark purple-red, but somewhat 

 variable, especially in the Maritime Alps, where we have seen 

 specimens with pale purple flowers. Bracts shorter than the flowers, 

 or the lowest equalling them. 



Wooded hills in sunny places, and especially on limestone. 

 June, July. 



Distribution. Europe, especially Central and Southern ; Cau- 

 casus, Persia. 



Epipactis microphylla Swartz. Small-leaved Epipactis. 



A smaller and more slender plant with very small lanceolate 

 leaves. Whole plant often purplish like the last. Flowers reddish 

 green, fragrant. Lip glabrous at the base. Mature ovary pubescent. 



1 E. violacea Boreau of S.E. England is quite a distinct thing. J. W. White in 

 Flora of Bristol (1912), p. 568. 



