462 Floricultural and Botanical Notices. 



describes, he denominates Hermodactylus longifolius. That the species is 

 distinct enough from /Vis tuberosa, which Mr. Sweet denominates Her- 

 modactylus bispathaceus (passing by Salisbury's name of H. tuberosus in 

 the Hart. Trans., probably as deeming it not sufficiently distinctive, now 

 that other tuberous species are known), there cannot be a question. It 

 is possible, however, that questions will arise on the propriety of forming 

 these species into a new genus ; and, until these questions are affirmatively 

 answered by the consent of a majority of botanists, we shall retain the 

 species in the genus JPris. 



142. 2"RIS. 

 1305a longifblia Suit, long-lvd. A A or f ap P.Gsh Naples 1829. D It Sw.fl.gar.2. s.146 



JHris longifolia has some of its radical leaves a yard or more in length, 

 and but one flower in a spathe ; /. tuberosa has much shorter leaves, and 

 has two flowers in its spathe : these are the obvious points of difference, 

 and there is a sufficiency of minor ones. Mr. Sweet's species of Hermo- 

 dactylus, then, are these: — 1. H. longifolius, Sw. Fl. Gar. 2. s. 146. 

 2. H. repens (creeping-rooted), of which the Fris tuberosa of Sibthorp's 

 Flora Grceca, 1. 41. j of the Magazine of Natural History, vol. iv. p. 29., 

 and Gardener's Magazine, vol. viii. p. 235., the cut in both these places 

 having been copied from that in Flora Grceca, 1. 41. ; and of Redoute's 

 Liliacees, t. 48., are synonymes. It will be remembered that, in p. 235., 

 we remarked that the figure there (copied from that in Flora Grceca) 

 differed completely in its " scaly creeping sucker (propago) at its root," 

 from the 7 v ris tuberosa we had always known : the truth of this remark is 

 now corroborated by the experience of Mr. Sweet ; the /Vis tuberosa we 

 had all along previously known being his third and following species. 3. 

 H. bispathaceus, of which the /Vis tuberosa of Bot. Mag. 531., of Link's 

 Enumeratio, and of Smith's Herbarium, are synonymes ; as well as Hermo- 

 dactylus tuberosus of Salisbury, in Hort. Trans., vol. i. p. 304. In addition 

 to our remarks (Vol. VIII. p. 235.) on the culture of the last-named species, 

 this observation by Salisbury may be of interest : — " In a border of deep 

 rich loam, at Chapel Allerton, it flowered every year : at Mill Hill, on a dry 

 gravel, it never flowered." It has again flowered finely, this spring, in 

 the Bury Garden, under the treatment described p. 235. ; and the plants 

 from the wild station near Plymouth have, this spring, flowered in the 

 Cambridge Botanic Garden. Should the specific distinctness of the three 

 kinds above named become admitted, of which there is probably very 

 little doubt, the geographical station of each species will then be desirable 

 to be known. Salisbury says of H. bispathaceus Swt., " it grows in the 

 Peloponnesus ;" but the fact of H. repens being the species figured in 

 Flora Grceca, excites a doubt whether Salisbury's habitat does not apply 

 rather to H. repens than to H. bispathacens. After all, may it not be 

 purely by error that so peculiar a creeping-root shoot has been affixed to 

 the plant figured in Flora Grceca, 1.41.? If it be by error, H. repens is in 

 consequence a nonentity : nevertheless, should such be the case, Hermo- 

 dactylus longifolius Swt. and H. bispathaceus Swt. are without a doubt as 

 satisfactorily distinct as any two species need to be. 



The /Vis biflora of Linnaeus is published in Sweet's Flower-Garden for 

 July, t. 152.; where numerous technical details respecting it, which will 

 avail the studier of this genus, are presented : living plants of it are in the 

 Chelsea Botanic Garden, and in the garden of Mr. Sweet. F ris reticulata 

 Bieb. is figured in the Bot. Cab., July, t. 1829. Its leaves appear not to 

 attain a greater height than 6 in. ; its flower is borne at 3 in. from the 

 ground, and is large and highly beautiful. The species is yet rare in 

 Britain. 



CCXL. Orchidece § Ophrydece. 



2490. HERMI'NIUM. [mag. 3164 



cordatum Lindl. heatt-lvd. ^ iAJ fra f mr.n Ysh.G N.W.Af. S.W.E. 1830. D p.l Bot. 

 Habenaria cordata Hooker, Bot. mag. 3364. 



