YELLOW FRINGEORCHID 
Habenaria ciliaris (Linnaeus) Robert Brown 
Yellow fringeorchid is one of our showy tepresentatives of the 
Orchid Family, and its only rival in brilliance of coloration in its ac- 
customed habitat is the cardinalflower. The accepted common name 
is somewhat inappropriate, however, for its color is really of a de- 
cidedly orange hue. Growing two or three feet in height, in a ferny 
meadow or wet bog, ot on the banks of a quiet stream, its bright 
orange color beckons the long-tongued butterflies and moths to visit 
it. In twilight it is easily seen by the large moths which hover over 
it; these are often mistaken for humming birds through the simi- 
larity in their manner of flight. It is a sturdy and elegant plant, and 
to find it growing in perfect development is a joy never to be 
forgotten. | 
Yellow fringeorchid has a wide range, from Florida to Texas and 
northward to Vermont, Ontario, and Michigan. It can be cultivated 
only in highly acid soil. 
The sketch was made from plants gathered near Bridgeport, 
Connecticut. 
PLATE 3,40 
