22 GYNANDRIA— MONANDRIA. Orchis. 



Root irregularly and imperfectly paknate, the knobs not being so 

 much divided as in most of this section ; especially that des- 

 tined to bear flowers in the ensuing season, which is later and 

 smaller than usual. Herb various in size, luxuriance, breadth 

 of leaves, and colour, having often a purple tint. Stem from 

 one to two feet high, leafy, hollow. Leaves lanceolate, or some- 

 what ovate, unspottedj erect, gradually smaller upward. Spike 

 dense, many-flowered. Bracteas linear-lanceolate, pointed, often 

 purple ; the lower ones much longer than the flowers ; upper 

 more or less so. Fl. varying from a pale flesh-colour, or white, 

 to a full rose or crimson, the spreading calyx dotted, but other- 

 wise of the same hue as the petals and nectary. Spur rather 

 thick, conical, deflexed, shorter than the germen. Lip variously 

 notched, generally somewhat three-lobed ; its disk elegantly 

 variegated with dark purple and white, deflexed at the sides. 



Authors appear to have made several species out of this one. At 

 least I could never ascertain more than one in Britain, to which 

 all the above synonyms surely belong. The variety j3 has not 

 been noticed since the time of Dillenius. Some Swiss speci- 

 mens, though dried 30 years ago, retain much of a purple co- 

 lour in their herbage, and what Dillenius has adopted from 

 Gibson's edition of Cambden may have been either such a va- 

 riety, or possibly a plant we shall speak of hereafter. See Epi- 

 pactis, n. 2. Some of Vaillant's references regard 0. sambucina, 

 an alpine species, sufficiently distinct. 



13. O. maculata. Spotted Palmate Orchis. 



Knobs palmate, spreading. Lip of the nectary flat, cre- 

 nate, three-lobed ; spur cylindrical, rather shorter than 

 the germen. Bracteas shorter than the flowers. 



O. maculata. Linn. Sp. PI. 1335. Willd. v. 4. 31. Fl. Br. 925. 



Engl. Bot. V. 0. t. 632. Hook. Lond. t. 1 12. Scot. 251. Fl. Dan. 



t. 933. 

 O. n. 1278. Hall.Hist.v.2.U\.t.Z2.f.\. 

 O. foemina altera. Trag. Hist. 781. f. 

 O. palmata pratensis maculata. Bauh. Pin. 85. Rudb. Elys. v.2. 



211./. 3. 

 O. palmata palustris maculata ; also montana maculata. Bauh. 



Pm. 86. Rudb.Elys. v.2. 215. f. \5 ; and2\7.f.20. 

 O. palmata pratensis latifolia maculata, calcaribus longis. Vaill. 



Par. 152.'^ 30./. 15 ; also montana maculata. 153. t. 31./. 9, 



10. 

 O. palmata montana maculata. Segu. Veron. v.2. 132. 1. 15,/. 16, 



bad. 

 Palmata speciosiore thyrso, folio maculato. Bauh. Hist. v. 2. 774./. 



Raii Syn. 38 1 . 

 Palma Christi. Cord. Hist. 130. 2./ Lob. Ic. 188. / 



