o 



RCH1S 



ORIO. 



eadow Orchis. 



ORCHIS Linn. Gen. PL Gynandria Diandria. NeEiarium corniforme pone florem. 



Rail Syn. Gen. 26 Herb^e radice bulbosa prjedit^. 



ORCHIS Morio bulbis indivifis, nectarii labio quadrifido crenulato : cornu obtufo adfcendente, petalis 

 obtufis conniventibus. Lin. Syjl. Vegetab. p. 674. Sp. PI. p. 1333. Fl.Suec. n. 794. 



ORCHIS radicibus fubrotundis, petalis galeae linearis, labello trifido crenato, medio fegmento emargi- 

 nato. Haller. hifi. n. 1281. t. ^^. 



ORCHIS Morio. Scopoli Fl. Carniol. 11. 1 1 10. 



ORCHIS morio femina, Bauhin. pin. 82. Parkins. 1347. 



CYNOSORCHIS morio femina. Ger. emac. 208. Raii Syn. 377. The Female Fool-ftones. 



Hudfon, Fl. AngL ed. 2. p. 383. Lightfoot Fl. Scot. p. 514. Oeder. Fl. Dan. Tab. 253 



RADIX : Bulbi duo, fubrotundi, magnitudine nncis 

 avellan^ aut etiam mofchatae, fuperne ut in 

 plerifque hujus generis fibris majufculis pa- 

 tentibus inH:ru£ti, odore fubhircino. 



SCAPUS fpithamaeus, ad pedalem et ultra, ere&us, 

 foliofus, 



FOLIA amplexicaulia, lanceolata, lineata, fuperne ni- 

 tida, inferne fubargentea, ima reflexa, et quo- 

 dammodo intorta. 



FLORES pauciores, fex five o£to, raro ultra duodeeim, 

 purpurei, laxe difpofiti. 



BRACT^A longitudine fere germinis, purpurafcens, 



incumbens. 

 COROLLA : Petala quinque, omnibus in galeam 

 conniventibus, quorum duo exteriora 

 prefertim lineis quinque parallelis, viri- 

 dibus notantur. 

 LABELLUM amplum, purpureum, medio albidum, 

 punctatum, trilobum, lobis lateralibus 

 deflexis, medio breviore emarginato, 

 omnibus ferrulatis. Cakar longitudine 

 fere germinis, fubemarginatum, furfum 

 tendens. 

 STAMINA: Filamenta duo; Antherje virides, 

 clavatas, bilamellatae. jig. 2. 3. 5. 



I ROOT : two roundifh Bulbs of the fize of a hazel nut 

 I or even of a nutmegs above as in moft of the 



% plants of this tribe furnifhed with largifh 



I fpreading fibres, fmelling ftrong and rank. 



% STALK from fix or feven inches to a foot or more In 

 I height, upxnght and leafy. 



I LEAVES embracing the ftalk, lanceolate, marked 

 with lines, mining on the upper fide, un- 

 derneath filvery, the bottom ones for the 

 moff. part turning back and varioufly con- 

 torted. 

 FLOWERS few in number, from lix to eight, feldom 

 more than twelve, of a purple colour, 

 fitting loofely on the flalk. 

 BRACT^EA or Floral leaf, almoft the length of the 



germen, purplifh and incumbent. 

 COROLLA : five Petals, all of which clofe together 

 and form the helmet, of thefe the two 

 outermoff. are ftrikingly marked with 

 green parallel lines. 

 LIP large, purple, whitifh in the middle and dotted, 

 having three lobes, of which the two fide ones 

 turn downward, the middle one fhorteft. with a 

 notch in it, all of them finely fawed. Spur nearly 

 the length of the germen, flightly notched at top 

 and tending upward. 

 STAMINx^: two Filaments; Antherje green, 

 club-fhaped, fplitting into two lamellae 

 fig- 2. 3- 5- 



Moft of the plants of the Orchis tribe as already has been obferved have bulbous roots which are yearly re- 

 newed, they do not however encreafe in that abundant manner which many other bulbous-rooted plants are 

 known to do ; as yet I have not heard of any one that has raifed them from feed, nor can I boafr, a fact, of that 

 kind myfelf, yet frequent obfervation almoft confirms me in the opinion that they muff, be propagated from feed, 

 if this be not admitted, how fhall we account for fo many young plants being found together as are frequently 

 obferved ? I have myfelf feen from twenty to thirty young plants of the Bee Orchis growing within a foot of each, 

 other, and it is well-known they feldom or never encreafe by the root ; accurate and repeated obfervation in na- 

 tural hiftory is capable of producing much information, and will it is hoped e're long fatisfactorily elucidate this 

 doubtful fubjecl. 



Some writers on the Materia Medica have pronounc'd this to be the true plant which produces the oriental 

 Salep, while others fuppofe it to be fome other fpecies, there is one circumftance which makes itimpomble that this 

 fpecies fhould produce all the Salep as many of the roots in that drug appear palmated like thofeofthe Orchis Macu- 

 lata, whereas had they been the produce of the Orchis Morio they would all have appeared round, it would therefore 

 appear moft probable that the Salep is formed from a number of the different fpecies mixed together ; there feems 

 to be no propriety in confining it to this fpecies alone, the mafcula, the maculata, the bifolia, and fome others 

 have as large or larger roots than this, and their quality appears to be the fame. 



The Orchis Morio grows in meadows that are moderately dry, fuch as the Cowf.ip is ufually found in, and 

 fometimes they are fo numerous as to empurple the fpot they grow on. 



It afl'umes all the changes of colour from a deep purple to a white, indeed there is no Orchis more variable in 

 this refpect, but in all its varieties it retains more or lefs ftrongly the green lines on its fide petals which obvi- 

 oufly diftinguifh it from all our other Orchis's. 

 It flowers in May and June. 



