THE ORCHIS TRIBE. 227 



which is botanically called the hood, or pouch (cucul- 

 lus, or bursicula), is peculiar to some of the Orchis 

 tribe, and is caused by a doubling upwards of the 

 upper edge of the stigma. 



The stigma itself is a broad ^dscid shining space 

 {fig. 3. e.) lying just below the hood, between it and 

 the mouth of the spur. 



These things being thus made out, it follows, you 

 see, that the column of an Orchis is a body formed 

 of a stamen, a style, and a stigma, all grown into one 

 solid body ; and this is the great peculiarity of the 

 Orchis tribe. Its genera vary amazingly in the 

 structure of the anther, the column, the lip, and in- 

 deed of all the parts, but in the consolidation of the style 

 and stamen. They are all agreed. This then is the 

 characteristic of the Orchis tribe. 



If, however, there was really only one stamen, this 

 curious natural order would be more at variance with 

 the usual structure of Monocotyledonous plants than 

 its conformity in the calyx and corolla would lead 

 one to expect ; and accordingly we find, that al- 

 though only one stamen is perfect, there are distinct 

 traces of two others in an extremely imperfect state. 

 On each side of the anther, near its base, you will 

 find a roundish granular knob {fig. 3. b. c.), which has 

 been ascertained to be the rudiment of another 

 anther ; so that in reality the column is composed of 

 one perfect stamen, standing between two imperfect 

 ones ; a most striking proof of the harmony of design 

 which is manifested in all these Monocotyledonous 

 tribes. 



Q 2 



