ORCHID FAMILY. Orchidaceae. 



There are numerous kinds of Limnorchis; the lowen 

 leaves clasping or sheathing the stem ; the flowers mostly in 

 spikes or racemes; sepals nearly equal, petals mostly 

 smaller than the sepals; lip spreading or drooping, not 

 toothed or lobed, with a spur. The Latin name means 

 "marsh-dweller. " 



Often in some favorable corner of a 



Sierra Rein Orchis marsh near the wood we see a 



Limnorckis . 



leucositichys dozen of these lovely plants, their robust 



(Habenario) leafy stalks sometimes as much as four 



White feet tall, rearing their delicate spires of 



a""" Wash bl m 



'narrow leaves are bright-green and 



smooth and the numerous, small, delicate blossoms, 

 sprinkled thickly along the stem, are pure white, each with 

 a very long spur like a little tail, each with a green bract 

 at the base of its little pedicel, and deliciously fragrant. 

 There are several similar kinds, mostly with green flowers; 

 this is the handsomest and least rare. 



There are many kinds of Cypripedium, with large, broad 

 leaves and one or several, large, drooping flowers, with two 

 fertile anthers, with short filaments, one on each side of 

 the column below the stigma, and a conspicuous, petal- 

 like, sterile anther, arching over the stigma. They are 

 easily known by the curious lip, which is a large inflated 

 sac, suggesting both the common names, Lady's Slipper 

 and Indian Moccasin, and the Greek, meaning "foot of 

 Venus." 



Beautiful and decorative, with a stout, 

 Mountain Lady's hairy stem> Qne to twQ feet tall and a few , 



Cypripedium handsome flowers, rich and harmonious 

 monttinum though not brilliant in coloring, with a 



Brown and white lip about an inch long, dull-white, veined. 

 Summer wit k pur pi e and brownish or purplish 



Northwest 



sepals and petals, very long, narrow, and 



twisted. This grows in mountain woods and is found 

 around Yosemite. There is a picture in Miss Parsons's 

 Wild Flowers of California. C. Calif ornicum is similar, but 

 with more flowers, the sepals and petals greenish-yellow, 

 the lip pinkish. C. parviflbrum has a yellow lip and 

 purplish sepals and grows in northern woods, across the 1 ! 

 continent. None of these plants is common. 



