810 



THE OJRCHID FAMILY. 



V. CEPHALANTHERA. CEPHALANTHERA. 



Habit and foliage of Bpipactis, but the flowers are sessile, erect, and 

 usually larger, white or red, the petals and sepals not so spreading, the 

 lip has no protuberances at the base of the upper portion, the column 

 is longer, and the anther is shortly stalked. 



A small European and north Asiatic genus, united by some with 

 Epipactis, whilst others place it in a different tribe of Orchids on ac- 

 count of the slight difference in the position of the anther. 



Flowers white or cream-coloured. 



Leaves broad. Lower bracts longer than the flower, and 



all longer than the ovary 1. Large C. 



Leaves narrow. All the bracts shorter than the ovary . . 2. Narrow C, 

 Flowers red 3. Purple C. 



1. Large Cephalanthera, 



Cephalanthera grandiflora, Bab. 

 (Fig. 973.) 



Ireland, 



{Serapias, Eng. Bot. t. 271. Epipactis, Brit. El.) 



Bootstock fibrous. Stem 1 to 1^ feet 

 high. Leaves prominently veined as in 

 JEpipactis; the lower ones broadly ovate, 

 the upper ones rather broadly lanceolate. 

 Elowers rather large, of a yellowish 

 white or cream-coloured, in a loose, 

 leafy spike, all the bracts being longer 

 than the ovary, and the lower ones quite 

 leaf-like and longer than the flowers. 

 Sepals 6 to 8 or even 9 lines long, ob- 

 long, and usually obtuse, rather open. 

 Petals rather shorter, close over the 

 column. Lip small, of two distinct por- 

 tions, the lower one embracing the 

 column, the terminal one recurved at 

 the tip. 



In woods and thickets, in Europe, ex- 

 tending eastward to the Caucasus, and 

 northward to Denmark. In Britain, 

 scattered over various parts of England, 

 and southern Scotland. Fl. early summer. 



Fig. 973. 



