THE SALEP ORCHIS. 137 



the commonest species, the latter of exquisite 

 beauty ; its flowers seemed as if each was a little 

 mirror of ultramarine glass framed in a fringe 

 of crimson velvet. On the hills around, the 

 Orchis longicornis grew in great abundance. This 

 is the species whose roots are chiefly collected 

 by the natives for Salep. The musk hyacinth 

 was mingled with the Orchids on the plain, 

 and with it grew a beautiful yellow Tricho- 

 nema. 



Our visit to the highland plain, on which 

 we found three ancient cities bearing the name 

 Cyanse, furnished us with an abundant supply 

 of the Veronica grandiflora, which covered the 

 ground in such profusion as to render the fields 

 literally blue. Might not this natural feature 

 have suggested the name of the cities there 

 built 1 In cultivated ground we gathered the 

 curious Leontice. On the hill sides the little 

 Asterolinum stellatum grew in profusion. At 

 Trabala we gathered some interesting species of 

 Silene and Galium. In the Dembra gorge two 

 plants were very conspicuous, the Phaca bcetica, 

 with its showy racemes of white flowers, and 

 a beautiful Fritillary, possibly a new kind. The 

 latter is mentioned in Professor Don's list as 



