XXX.— THE EARLY PURPLE ORCHIS. 
Orchis mascula Linne. 
T HE last of the ten Orders into which, according to Engler’s system, 
Monocotyledons are divided is the Microsperma , so named from its minute 
and simple seeds (Greek pixpos, mikros , small ; aireppa, sperma , seed). In most other 
respects the small Tropical Family Burmanniace<e and the great Orchid Family, which 
together constitute this Order, agree with those Liliiflora as have an inferior ovary, 
such as the Iridace <e. Though made up of three carpels, the ovary in the larger of 
these groups is only one-chambered, placentation being parietal, i.e. the margins of 
the carpellary leaves are not folded in to form a central axis. The parts of the flower 
are whorled or cyclic and typically consist of fifteen leaves in five whorls. The two 
outer whorls may both be petaloid, or may present a contrast of calyx and corolla ; and 
six stamens may be traced by the vessels which would supply them with nutriment 
if they were fully developed. Four, or more commonly five, of them are, 
however, generally suppressed, and the one pollen-bearing stamen is united to the 
style in a central column. This and a great and varied modification in the form of 
the perianth-leaves, especially the posterior one in the inner whorl, produce a 
monosymmetry of the flower that at once distinguishes it from that of an Iris or 
other Liliifloral plant, so that their bizarre forms have earned for Orchids the 
description of “ Irises run mad.” 
The most numerous Family of Monocotyledons, and one of the most widely 
distributed, the Orchids are considered, mainly on account of the complexity of their 
flowers, to be the highest Order in that Class, in spite of their having but a simple 
type of structure in their leaves and seeds. Most of the 5,000 or more species 
are Tropical, clinging by greyish-green aerial roots to the boughs of the trees, but 
deriving their nourishment from the moisture in the air. These epiphytes, as they 
are termed, have commonly short, fleshy, oval branches known as pseudo-bulbs, from 
the summits of which spring leaves and flower-stalks. 
The Orchids of Temperate regions, such as our own, are, however, terrestrial, 
growing in the ground, especially on limestone soils, generally with two fleshy 
root-tubers. Their leaves are few in number, sheathing at the base, simple in 
outline, generally very glossy, parallel-veined, and sometimes marked with dark 
reddish spots. 
In spite of the immense variety of form, size, and colouring presented by their 
blossoms, so that it has been said that there is scarcely a common reptile or insect to 
which one or other of them has not been compared, most Orchids conform to a very 
uniform type of floral structure. They have three outer perianth-leaves, or sepals, 
generally petaloid in texture and colour, and often alike. There are also three petals 
or inner floral leaves, but the lowest of these, the labellum, is most various in form 
and colour, serving usually as a landing-place for the insect visitants of the flowers. 
