CALOPOGON 



ORCHID OBDEB 



OECHIS 



891 



in more or less boggy situations at the 

 foot of the rockery. The soil may be 

 composed of peat, leaf-soil, sand, with a 

 covering of coco-nut fibre in winter. The 

 plants may be increased by offsets from 

 the base, in spring, but it is not advisable 

 to tamper with them too much unless fine 

 clumps have become established. 



CALOPOGON.— This genus contains 

 about 4 species, all natives of N. America, 

 but the following is the only one usually 

 met with in cultivation : — 



C. pulchellus {Limodoru/m tuberosum). 

 A pretty tuberous-rooted Orchid about 

 18 in. high, with radical grass-like leaves. 

 Flowers late in summer, in loose racemes, 

 purple, the lip having a conspicuous tuft 

 or beard of pale yellow hairs on the 

 ' crest.' 



Culture and Propagation. — May be 

 grown in simUar situations, but not quite 

 so moist, as Calypso boreaUs. Increased 

 by careful separation of the tubers in the 

 resting stage. 



ORCHIS. — A genus of terrestrial 

 Orchids with roundish ovoid or palmately 

 divided tubers and sheathing leaves. 

 Flowers in dense loose spikes or in very 

 short pedicellate racemes. Sepals and 

 petals almost equal ; lip 3- (rarely 4-5-) 

 lobed, drooping, and spurred. 



Culture a/nd Propagation. — The kinds 

 described below are the best out of some 

 80 species for garden purposes. They 

 flourish in deep rich well-drained sandy 

 loam mixed with a little peat. To obtain 

 the best effects, the plants should be grown 

 in masses, and are usually best in low 

 level spots in the rockery in partially 

 shaded situations. When the various 

 kinds are grown together it is not unusual 

 for them to fertilise one with another and 

 thus produce hybrids naturally. In this 

 way seedlings appear spontaneously, 

 sometimes resembling one species more 

 than another, but usually quite distinct 

 from the type. 



O. foliosa. — A showy species, native of 

 Madeira, 1^2^ ft. high, with oblong un- 

 spotted leaves and spies of purple flowers 

 about 9 in. long, produced in early summer. 

 Sepals and petals almost similar ; lip 

 broad, drooping, 3 -lobed, much longer 

 than the spur. 



Culture and Propagation. — This 

 species may be grown in deep light soil 

 in sheltered parts of the rockery. It may 

 also be grown in pots, and plunged dmring 



the summer months outside, and in severe 

 winters lifted and protected in cold frames 

 or greenhouses. 



O. latifolia (0. paVmata). — Marsh 

 Orchis. — A pretty British Orchid 1-3 ft. 

 high, with oblong or lance-shaped leaves 

 spotted with purple-black, and loose spikes 

 of purple flowers borne from May to July. 

 Lip obscurely 3-lobed, spurred and 

 spotted. 



There is a narrow-leaved form called 

 angustifolia, a variety of a sub-species 

 known as incarnata with lance-shaped 

 acute unspotted leaves and flowers of a 

 pale pink larger than the type. 



Culture dtc. as above. This species 

 may be grown with Calypso boreaUs and 

 Cypripediu/m spectabile in boggy or 

 marshy ground, and increased by division 

 in autumn. When grown with 0. 

 maculata there is always a chance of 

 obtaining hybrids where the plants grow 

 vigorously and flower freely. 



O. laxiflora. — -A pretty orchid 1-3 ft. 

 high, native of the Channel Islands, with 

 roundish tubers, unspotted lance-shaped 

 leaves and loose spikes of bright reddish- 

 purple flowers, produced in early sunamer ; 

 sepals and petals blunt; lip with large 

 orenulate side-lobes, spotted, and having 

 a stout blunt spur. 



Culture (to. as above. May be grown 

 in boggy soil, and increased by separation 

 of the tubers in autumn. 



O. maculata {Spotted Orchis). — A 

 showy British species 6-18 in. high, with 

 palmate tubers, and narrow oblong lance- 

 shaped, usually spotted leaves. Flowers 

 from May to July, very pale purple or 

 white, spotted, rarely pure white, and 

 borne in a dense oblong pyramidal spike. 

 Lip deeply 3-lobed, spurred. 



Culture &a. as above. May be grown 

 in deep moist loam in shady parts of the 

 rockery. Increased by separation of the 

 hand-like tubers in autumn. In favour- 

 able spots seeds are freely produced and 

 seedlings spring up spontaneously in 

 spring. Plants obtained in this way are 

 better than those obtained by division, 

 and there is always a chance of securing 

 a good hybrid, as this species often crosses 

 readily with O. foUosa. 



O. purpurea (0. fusca). — Another 

 pretty British species found in Kent and 

 Sussex on the Downs in chalky soUs. It 

 has ovoid tubers and stout stems 1-3 ft. 



