Orchis Mascula. Early Spotted Orchis. 
ORCHIS Linruei Gen . PI. Gynandria Diandria. 
Ne Barium corniforme pone florem . 
RaiiSyn.Gen. 26. Herbje radice bulbosa i>r;edit;e. 
ORCHIS mafcula bulbis indivifis, ne&arii labio quadrilobo crenulato : cornu obtufo petalis dorfalibus 
reflexis. Lin. Syjl . Vegetab. p. 674. FI. Suecic. p. 319. n. 795. 
ORCHIS radicibus fubrotundis ; petali lateralibus reflexis ; labello trifido ; fegmento medio longiori* 
bifido. Haller hifi. n. 1283. tab. 33. 
ORCHIS mafcula. Scopoli FI. Carniol. n. mi. 
ORCHIS morio mas foliis maculatis. Bauhin. pin. 81. Parkinfon. 1346. 
CYNOSORCHIS morio mas. Gerard, emac. 208. Rail Syn. p. 376. n. 3, The Male Fool-ftones. 
Hudjon. FI. Angi. p. 333. Oeder. FI. Dan. t. 457. Lightfoot. FI. Scot. p. 515. 
RADIX Bulbi duo fubrotundi, majufculi. 
CAULIS pedalis, ere&us, teres, folidus, fupernepur- 
purafcens, nudus, inferne foliis vaginantibus 
veftitus. 
FOLIA latiufcula, maculis atropurpureis plerumque 
infignita, inferne carinata. 
SPICA longa, fpeciofa, laxa. 
BRACTEiE purpurea?, lanceolatze, fubmembrana- 
cea?, germine paulo breviores, apicibus pau- 
lulum contortis. 
COROLLA: Petala quinque purpurea ; duo ovato- 
acuta, ereSia , carinata, apicibus incurvatis, 
tria conniventia in galeam : Labellum am- 
plum, trilobum, medio produftiore, omnibus 
acute crenulatis, et bafi maculatis: Faux 
alba. 
Explic. Fig. 
Fig. — T, Bradfoea. 
2, 3, Petala. 
4, Labellum. 
5, Ne&arium, nat. magnit. 
6, Glandula ad bafin Filamenti. 
7, Filamentum. 
8, Anthera. 
9, Receptaculum glandularum Filamentorum. 
10, Theca Antherarum clauia. 
11, Eadem aperta. 
12, Anthera extenfa. 
13, Stigma. 
14, Germen, audi. 
t ROOT : two Bulbs of a roundilh form, and fome- 
| what large. 
■$: STALK a foot high, upright, round, folid, above na- 
ked and purplifh, below cloathed with fur- 
sp rounding leaves. 
¥ LEAVES broadifh, moft commonly marked with dark 
I purple fpots, the midrib proje&ing Iharply 
$ on the under fide. 
I SPIKE long, Ihowy, loofe. 
% FLORAR-LEAVES purple, lanceolate, fomewhat 
¥ membranous, a little fhorter than the Germen, 
I the tips a little twifted. 
% COROLLA: five purple Petals, two of which are 
of an oval pointed Ihape, upright , with a 
I projecting rib, the tips bending inward ; the 
¥ remaining three form the galea or helmet i 
I the Lip large, with three lobes, of which the 
$ middle one is the longeft, all of them Iharply 
I notched, and fpotted at the bafe : Mouth 
I white. 
Explanation of the Figures. 
I Fig. — 1, The Floral-leaf. 
I 2, 3, The Petals. 
I 4, The Lip. 
I 5, The Nedtary of their natural fize. 
y 6, The Gland at the bafe of the Filament. 
t 7, The Filament. 
I 8, The Anthera. 
¥ 9, The Cavity containing the Glands of the 
t Filaments. 
I 10, The cafe containing the Anthera? clofed. 
t 11, The fame opened. 
I 12, The Anthera ftretched out. 
$ 13, The Stigma. 
? 14, The Germen, magnified. 
STUDENTS in general, find a difficulty in obtaining a clear idea of the parts of frudtifi cation in the Orchis 
tribe. There is a peculiarity of ftrudture runs through the whole of them, very different from what we meet 
with in plants in general. 
The greater part of this genus have bulbous roots, which are yearly renewed ; fome have fibrous roots, which 
alfo partake of the fame nature. As a proof of their being yearly renewed, we always find, when there are two 
bulbs, that one of them is in a more withered Hate than the other ; and if we take the roots up in Autumn, we 
find one bulb only. 
Thefe plants multiply themfelves very little. The fmall increafe they make, appears to be from off-fets. Hi- 
therto we have no fatisfadtory proof of their being propagated from feed ; yet the feed-veflels in many of them, 
are large, well formed, and filled with feeds ; which though extremely minute, appear perfedt. 
The fmallnefs of the feed is, however, no argument againft its vegetating : fome of the Ferns , whofe feeds are 
much fmaller, are well known to fome ingenious nurferymen near ^London, to be propagated from feed, and to 
come up fpontaneoufly in their hot-houfes, where the original plant has fcattered its feed : and it is moft probably 
owing to a want of minute attention, that the progrefs of the Orchis feedlings has not yet been obferved. 
Were we however difpofed to doubt the vegetative power of thefe feeds, we might urge, that their barrennefs 
was owing to their not being properly impregnated ; the Antherae in the Orchis tribe, appearing to be totally dif- 
ferent in their ftrudture, from thole of plants in general ; and not containing, fo far at leaft, as I have yet been able 
to difcover, any fimilar pollen, or impregnating dull. 
Each flower has two ftamina, whofe ftrudture is well deferving the attention of the curious : each of thefe fla- 
mina is contained within a bag or cafe, the edges of which fold over each other, and open anteriorly, as the plant 
advances toward maturity, fig. 10, 11. At this period, in many of the Orchis tribe, they hang down out of their 
cafes towards the ftigma, and are particularly vifible in the Bee Orchis, and fome others : on the flighteft pull they 
are drawn out, and then at the bafe of each filament, we difcover a fmall tranfparent globule, fig. 6 ; and at the 
top a club-fhaped lubftance, moft commonly of a yellow colour, and granulated furface, which muft be confider- 
ed as the Anthera, fig. 8. On ftretching this fubftance before the view of a microfcope, it appears to be compoled 
of a number of cubic or irregularly fquare corpufcles, united together by fine elaftic threads,^. 12 : that thefe 
corpulcles produce the effedt of Pollen feems highly probable, though in a manner, at prefent unknown to us. 
There is no difficulty in diftinguilhing this lpecies from all our other Orchis's : its fpotted leaves and early bloom, 
will in general be fufficient. 
The beauty of its leaves and flowers, juftly intitle it to a place in the gardens of the curious ; and in which, if 
planted in a fhady fituation, it will readily grow. 
It flowers in April and May. 
About London it is become fomewhat fcarce ; but in the woods and meadows in moft parts of England, no plant 
more abounds. 
Should it ever be found pradticable, as well as profitable, to cultivate this genus of plants, for the purpofe of 
making Salap, this fpecies appears as likely to anfwer as any of them. 
The extraordinary invigorating powers of the roots of thefe plants, have been handed down to us with ceremo- 
nv, by many great names amongft antiquity : but we readily fubferibe to the opinion of Monfieur Garidel, who 
in (peaking of the Orchis , fays that great names have introduced many abfurd medicines. 
*Melfrs. Lee and Gordon. 
