Localities. — On chalky [nils, and in meadows and pastures on a chalky soil ; 
■very rare. — Oxfordsh. Among bushes on the rising ground to the West of the 
great chalk pit, near Caversham, facing the Thames : J. E. Bicheno, Esq. On 
Ridgway Hill, near Mapledurham : Dr. Lamb. In a chalk-pit about two miles 
from Caversham Bridge, up the river on the Caversham side, 1835: Rev. A. 
Bloxa.m. Plentiful at Fir Copse ; and also at Straw-Hall, near Mapledurham, 
May 22, 1836: Mr. A.R. Buht. Bank at the edge of Hartlock Wood, near 
Goring, with O. militaris : E. F. Wins, Esq. — Berks ; Found by Mr. Brown 
on chalky hills, near the highway from Wallingford to Reading, on the Berkshire 
side of the river: Merrett, 1666. — Kent; Near Dart ford: Air. Beet. 
Perennial. — Flowers in May and June. 
Root of two roundish egg-shaped knobs, with long brownish 
fibres from above their common origin. Stem from 4 or 5 inches 
to a foot high, round, smoolh, striated, leafy. Leaves alternate, 
somewhat spreading, spear-shaped, striated, sheathing at the base ; 
the upper ones gradually smaller, and appressed to the stem. 
Bracteas very small, much shorter than the germen,the upper ones 
awl-shaped, pale. Flowers in a rather loose, somewhat egg-shaped 
spike, sweet scented. Perianth (tig. 2.) 6-cleft, the 5 outer leaflets 
adhering to each other, resembling a helmet (see fig 1.) ; of these 
the 3 outer ones (the sepals, fig. 2. a, a, a.) are the largest, they 
are egg-spear-shaped, somewhat pointed, concave, whitish, and 
generally scattered with purplish dots ; the two inner ones (the 
petals, fig. 2. b, b .) are much smaller than these, narrow, and pur- 
plish ; the interior leaflet or labellum flip ) is very long, and 3- 
cleft, the segments incurved, the 2 side ones strap-shaped, the 
middle one divided into 2 long strap-shaped, purplish segments, 
with a small point between them. Spur (fig. 1. a.) scarcely half 
the length of the germen, somewhat incurved, compressed, blunt, 
and somewhat dilated at the apex. Anther purple, 2-celled (see 
fig. 3. c.). Pollen-masses (fig. 5.) yellowish-green, stalked, glan- 
dulose at the base. Stigma (fig. 3. b.) concave, viscid. Germen 
(fig. 3. a.) linear-oblong, somewhat spirally twisted. 
It varies with white flowers ; and Sir W. J. Hooker informs 
us, that among the specimens communicated to him by Mr. Bi- 
cheno, there were some flowers having two opposite horizontal 
lips, two spurs, and only two opposite sepals. This curious variety 
is exquisitely figured in the Flora Londinensis, t. 82. 
The flowers of this species, like those of Orchis militaris, (Engl. 
Bot. t. 2675.), and 0 . fusca, (Engl. Bot. t. 16.), exhale a most de- 
lightful fragrance, especially in drying. 
In June, 1836, E. F. Witts, Esq. of Slaughter, Gloucestershire, collected a 
number of specimens of this species, and of Orchis militaris, near Goring, 
Oxfordshire ; these specimens vveie brought to the Botanic Garden, and on care- 
fully examining them, in company with Air. Witts, I found the segments of the 
labellum, or lip, to vary remarkably in breadth in different specimens, so that 
we were able to trace a regular gradation from the broad, dilated, rounded lobes 
of Orchis militaris, to the long, narrow, strap-shaped ones of O. tephrosan- 
thos. From this circumstance 1 am inclined to think that these two constitute 
but one species ; and this appears to have been the opinion of Sir J. E. Smith 
and Dr. Withering. 
The fine specimen from which the drawing was made for the accompanying 
plate, was kindly communicated to me, from the vicinity of Alapledurham, by my 
valued and inuch-estcctned friend, Air, A. R. Bunr, of Reading, Barks. 
