468 ORCHfDE^E 



8. O.mdscula (Early Purple Orchis). — Stem 6 — 12 in. high; 

 leaves oblong-lanceolate, blunt, usually blotched with dull reddish- 

 black ; -flowers few, in a loose spike, crimson, mottled with lighter 



6rchis mAscula {Early Purple Orchis). 



and darker shades, rarely white, each rising from a twisted ovary, 

 and having a long, stout, blunt spur ; sepals spreading, not forming 

 a hood. — Woods and pastures ; abundant. The colour of the 

 flower, associated, as it often is, with Cowslips and Wild Hyacinths, 



