II 



ORCHIS 



This genus, which bears the name of the family, has 

 about eighty species growing in the north temperate zone, 

 but only two of them are known in North America. The 

 flowers are very like those of the great genus Habenaria, but 

 larger and more individual instead of being lost in the 

 effect of the wand or spike which is characteristic of the 

 Habenarias. 



In the genus Orchis the plants have fleshy, fibrous roots, 

 and in our species the stems consist of the flower stalk rising 

 from one or two large leaves. The sepals and petals look 

 much alike, are about equal in size and separate. The lip is 

 elongated into a spur. The blossoms are beautiful in 

 colour and shading, being purple and white or rose 

 coloured. 



The anther is two-celled. The two pollen masses or 

 pollinia lie one in each sac, slightly diverging from one 

 another. The end of each pollen mass is drawn 

 out into a slender stem, to which is attached a small 

 sticky gland, the function of which is described on 

 page 21. 



The capsule is oblong, erect and without a beak. 



19 



