34 
The Palmate Orchids of Craven. 
to situation. In general aspect and lipshape it keeps strictly 
true to type, and only as a hybrid does it possess any of the 
features of 0. maculata. A white form occurs, often in small 
colonies but always near or among the type plants. This 
white form is the plant which has been called Orchis O’ Kelly i. 
Some botanists aver that Orchis O’Kellyi does not occur in 
Craven, but if there is a plant worthy of the name then we 
have it in plenty. If not, no district has it. True, it differs 
from Orchis fuchsii in many minor respects. It is a more 
slender plant as a rule with white flowers and unspotted leaves. 
The florets, too, are smaller. Some years ago I sent specimens 
of our plant to the late Dr. Druce, who replied : ‘ This is 
undoubtedly Orchis O’Kellyi.’ The plants sent to Druce were 
not growing on a limestone soil ; indeed, we get it as much 
away from limestone as on it . Druce wrote of it : ‘ Calcareous 
areas of Burren, Co. Clare, Galway, Sutherland and Yorks., 
etc.’ If so, why is our white form of 0. fuchsii on a non- 
calcareous area still Orchis O’Kellyi ? And if there is a 
difference, why did Druce name it 0. O’Kellyi ? The truth 
is that Orchis O’Kellyi is merely a white form of Orchis fuchsii, 
and although these white forms may differ slightly, no dividing 
line can be drawn between a distinct species and an albino. 
In 1930, I found a peculiar spotted orchis with almost 
elliptical leaves and a very long narrow flower spike. This 
was sent to Dr. Druce who named it Orchis fuchsii Var. ovata. 
Although distinct as an individual plant, we think it more a 
form than a variety. 
Lip markings vary so much in all species that we cannot 
take this to be a reliable aid to identification, but the shape 
and outline of the lip means a great deal. As pressed specimens 
lose their colour and the lip shape is distorted, they are often 
of very little use. It is as well to take in addition several 
florets and preserve them loose in small test tubes containing 
fomalin reduced 5 per cent. They can be examined at any 
time. 
Summing up we see that five distinct species of palmate 
orchids occur in Craven, and these are properly classified as 
follows. 
Orchis incarnata L. 
c. pulcherior Dr. 
x. maculata 
x. pvcetermissa Var. pulchella Dr 
0-. maculata L. 
b. leucantha Dr. 
x . prcetermissaNax . pulchella Dr 
x. purpurella 
0-. purpurella Steph. 
We accept the above species because they occur in places 
in abundance quite apart from any other and all quite to 
0-. Fuchsii Dr. 
Var. O’Kellyi Dr. 
forma ovata Dr. 
x. incarnata 
;r. maculata 
#. prtceermissa Var. pulchella == 
lati folia, 
x. purpurella 
The Naturalist 
