ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWAYBLADE 



Ophrys nephrophylla Rydberg 



Rocky Mountain t way blade is one of the most common represen- 

 tatives of the Orchid Family in the Canadian Rockies. It delights in 

 the recesses of damp woods, and grows among mosses and other 

 moisture-loving plants, where the sunshine filters but faintly through 

 the trees. The flowers vary in color from yellowish green to green or 

 purple. The plants are so small and so nearly uniform in color that they 

 are easily overlooked among other vegetation. Such unobtrusive 

 plants as these show little affinity in their general appearance with 

 their more showy relatives, such as the ladyslippers and the brilliant 

 exotic orchids of our hothouses. 



This twayblade is a mountain species, and ranges from New Mex- 

 ico northward to Montana and Alaska. A closely related species is 

 found from New Jersey to central Canada and Labrador. 



The sketch was made from specimens collected at Yoho Pass, 

 eleven miles from Field, British Columbia, at an altitude of 5 ,900 feet. 



PLATE IO9 



