144 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [Sepr.-Oct., 198¢, 
ae ; : =: a 
Bol ORCHICELOGLOSSUM MIXTUM. Kee 
RARE British natural hybrid Orchid bloomed on the rockwork at Kew 
last June, whose history can now be carried further. It was 
originally found in a field at Longwitton, Northumberland, in July, r8qr. 
by Mr. Cecil H. Spencer Perceval, Longwitton Hall, Morpeth, “ in 
company with Orchis: incarnata aud maculata, Habenaria viridis, 
chlorantha, and bifolia, and’ Listera ovata.” As the plant was not 
recognised, it was transferred to the wild garden, and the spike was sent to 
Kew for determination, where its distinctness was at once recognised, anda 
‘brief comparison showed it to be intermediate between Habenaria viridis 
and Orchis maculata. As no previous record could be found, the plant was 
figured and described under the name of Habenari-otchis viridi-maculata, 
Rolfe (Ann. Bot., vi. p. 325, t. 18). Mr. Perceval succeeded in preserving 
and increasing the plant, and early in the present year he forwarded tubers 
to Kew, two of which have bloomed, giving a welcome opportunity’ of 
wenewing our acquaintance with it in a living state. Its characters are 
unchanged, the flowers being quite intermediate in structure, and showing a 
‘curious combination of green and lilac in colour. Its history has been 
given in detail (O.R., i. p. 34). The name originally given was intended to 
indicate its origin, but the separation of Coeloglossum from Habenaria has 
rendered a change necessary, as given below. 
A very similar plant has now appeared in Ireland. In July last an 
‘Orchis was sent for determination to Mr. R. Lloyd Praeger, by the Rev. 
W. E. Steele, of Enniskillen, and was forwarded on to the writer. In an 
accompanying letter Mr. Steele remarked: “I found only two heads of it. 
growing here in a field at Levally. It bears some resemblance to 
Habenaria viridis, which grows plentifully in the next field, but the colour 
is altogether different. This Orchis when fresh had a lovely colour. The 
lower blossoms were cream, the middle ones streaked with pink, and the 
upper ones pink.”” It may represent the same combination. 
‘Some ten years after the original plant appeared, an Orchis mixta, 
Domin, was described (Sitz. Bohm. Ges. Wiss., xxii. p. 7), from a single 
example found on the mountains on the north-east frontier of Bohemia, 
which was said to combine the characters of Coeeloglossum’ viride and 
‘Orchis maculata. This plant afterwards became Orchicceloglossum 
mixtum, Asch. & Grabn. (Syn. Miit. Eur., iii. p. 847). It is apparently 3 
very rare hybrid, but this may arise from the parents not very frequently 
growing together. In any case it is interesting to find the plant in such 
~widely-separated ‘stations. “wR, Ae ROLFE: 
