466 OrchidacetT. 



depth of about 2 feet of water. It belongs to a small jorder 

 called Juncaginacece, distinguished from Alismacece by the 

 apetalous bracteate flowers. 



ORDER YI.-ORCHIDACE^!. 



Terrestrial herbs with tuberous or fascicled roots and 

 sheathing radical or sessile cauline leaves ; or, as in most of 

 the tropical species, epiphytes, with enlarged stems called 

 pseudo-bulbs. Flowers solitary, spicate, racemose or paniculate. 

 Perianth coloured, superior, composed of 6 irregular segments. 

 The 3 outer are similar, and also the 2 lateral inner, whilst the 

 lower inner 'segment, usually termed the labellum, assumes a 

 variety of curious forms, and is often spurred at the base. 



Stamens and style confluent. Anther 

 1 and opposite the lip, or (in Cypri- 

 pedium) 2 and opposite the lateral 

 inner lobes of the perianth ; pollen 

 cohering in 2, 4, or 8 waxy or granu- 

 liferous masses. Fruit a 1 -celled 

 3-valved inferior twisted capsule, 

 containing numerous very minute 

 seeds attached to the valves. This 

 order includes upwards of 400 genera 

 comprising 3,000 species, abounding 

 in all climates except the extreme 

 cold. We have about 40 indigenous 

 species belonging to 18 different 

 genera. Like the majority of the 

 terrestrial species they are more 

 curious than beautiful, and as they 

 hardly come within our limits, and 

 more space than we can afford would 

 be required to give intelligible de- 

 scriptions, we must be content with* 

 mentioning the names of a few of 

 the more interesting species. Fore- 

 most come the common Spring- 

 Fig. 226. cypripedium Caiceoius. flowering species of Orchis, 0. mas- 



cula and Morio which throw up their 



spikes of purplish flowers from April till June. The handsomest 

 perhaps of the genus is 0. pyramidalis which has rosy-crimson 



