52 OUR NATIVE ORCHIDS 



grow there, the name would be a perfectly simple and appro- 

 priate nickname. Blepharon means "beard" or "fringe," 

 and glottis "throat," and the combination Blephariglottis is 

 the equivalent of our adjectives "fringed" or" crested throat." 

 It is, however, not the throat, but the petals and the hanging 

 lip that are fringed or cut or cleft. These give a peculiarly 

 starry effect to the flowers, which grow in tall, strong open 

 spikes, with space enough between the individual blossoms 

 to let each petal hang its delicate fringe to the breeze. 



These loose but most symmetrically arranged spikes, 

 tapering to a point at the budding end, are among the 

 loveliest floral wands that grow. The first effect is of a 

 delicate silky fringed maze forming a spike of lavender, 

 yellow or white, but looking closely into it one sees that its 

 charm lies in the beauty of the grouping of the flowers on 

 the stalk. Each flower has a very slender twisted ovary, 

 that curves away from the stalk at such an angle as to hang 

 the fringe petals on the outside of the spike wand. The 

 base of each ovary is sheathed by a delicate sharp-pointed 

 leaf bract that is sometimes long enough to protrude its 

 bright green tip between the fringes of the circling blossoms. 

 From the base of the twisted lip there swings a long spur 

 curved like a scimitar, and hanging longer than the lip itself. 

 Down in the depths of its wax-like white or gold or lavender 

 tube is the nectar well that the long-tongued insect seeks, 

 and to reach which he must strive strenuously and press 

 against the sticky discs of the pollen masses. The anther 

 sacs in this genus are widely separated and diverge from one 



