410 



BRITISH FLOWERING PLANTS 



It is principally ^ visited by wasps ; yet, according to 

 Webster,^ the visits are few and far between. My 

 experience is the same. 



Epipogum 



E. Gmelini. — This also is a brownish, leafless species, 

 living among decaying leaves, and with a rhizome con- 

 sisting of short, thick, fleshy branches, as in Neottia 

 and Corallorhiza ; the flower, however, difl'ers consider- 

 ably. The plant often goes several years without 

 flowering. The flowers have a spur, secrete nectar, 

 smell of Vanilla, and appear to be principally fertilised 

 by humble bees. It is remarkable in not having its 

 flowers inverted. It is one of our rarest British plants 

 (a native of Herefordshire), but spread all over Europe 

 from Sweden to North Italy. 



Cephalanthera 



Flowers more or less erect, with incurved sepals and 

 petals. We have three species — 

 C. rubra is red, the other two 

 white; C. grandiflora (Fig. 334) 

 with broad, C. ensifolia with 

 sword- shaped leaves. The genus 

 diflfers from those hitherto described 

 in not possessing a rostellum, and 

 in having the pollen grains single. 

 The flower stands upright, and the 

 labellum is formed of two por- 

 tions : a base, and a small tri- 

 angular flap, which at first closes 

 the tube, then turns back, thus 

 forming a small landing-place in 

 front of a tria.ngular door, situated 

 half-way up the tube, and, lastly, 

 rises up again and closes the 

 The pollen mass is extremely friable ; it is 



Fig. 334. — Cephalantliera 

 grandijlara. 



entrance 



1 Darwin says " exclusively," Fertilisation of Orchids. 



2 "On the Fertilisation ot Epipactis latifolia," Trans. Bot. Sac. Edinl. xvi. 

 (1886). 



