Orchis M o r i o. M eadow Orchis. 
ORCHIS L'mn. Gen. PI. Gynandbia Dianbkia. Neaarium cormfoime pone florem. 
Ritii Syn. Gen. 26. Herbal radice bulbosa pbaldital. 
ORCHIS Maria bulbis indivifis, neaaril lablo quadrifido crenulato : cornu obtufo adicendentc, petalis 
obcufis conniventibus. Lin. Sxjl. Vegetah. p. 674. Sf. PI. p. 1333- «• “■ 794- 
npri-TTS radicibus fnhrntundis. Details Ealeie liiieatls, labello trifido crenato, medio fegmento 
nato. Haller, hiji. n. 1281. t. 33- 
ORCHIS Morh. Scopoli FI. Carniol. n. mo. 
ORCHIS mono femioa, Bauhin. pin. 82. Parkins. 1347- 
CYNOSORCHIS morio femina. Ger. emac. 208. Ran Syn. 377. The Female Fool-ftones. 
Hitdjem, FI. Angl. ed. 2. p. 383. Liglufial FI. Scot. p. 514. OeJer. FI. Dein.Tai. 253 
RADIX: Bulii duo, fubrotundi, magnitudine nucis 
aveilan* aut etiam mofchatas, fuperne ut in 
plerilcjue hujus generis fibris majufculis pa- 
tentibus inftru£U, odore fubhircino. 
SCAPUS fpithamaus, ad pedalem et ultra, ereftus, 
fuliofus. 
FOLIA amplexicaulia, lanceolata, lineata, fuperne ni- 
tida, inferne fubargentca, ima reflexa, et quo- 
dammodo intorta. 
FLORES pauciores, fex five o£lo, raro ultra duodecim, 
purpurei, laxe difpofiti. 
BRACTtEA longitudine fere germinis, purpurafcens, 
incumbens. 
COROLLA : Petala quinque, omnibus in galeam 
convenintibus, quorum duo exteriora pre- 
fertim lineis quinque parallelis, viridibus no- 
tantur. 
LABELLUM amplum, purpureum, medio albidum, 
pundlatum, trllobum, lobis lateralibus de- 
flexis, medio breviore emarginato, omni- 
bus ferrulatis. Calcar longitudine fere ger- 
minis, fubemarginatum, furlum tendens. 
STAMINA; Filamenta duo; Anthera; virides, 
clavatic, bilamellatie. Jig, 2. 3. 5. 
ROOT : two rouudifh Bulbs of the fize of a hazel nut 
or even of a nutmeg, above as in moft of the 
plants of this tribe furnifhed with largifh 
fpreading fibres, fmelling ftrong and rank. 
STALK from fix or feven inches to a foot or more in 
height, upright and leafy. 
LEAVES embracing the ftaik, lanceolate, marked 
with lines, Ihining on the upper fide, un- 
derneath filvery, the bottom ones for the 
moft part turning back and varioufly con- 
torted. 
FLOWERS few in number, from fix to eight, feldom 
more than twelve, of a purple colour, fit- 
ting loofely on the flalk. 
BRACTEA or Floral leaf, almoft the length of the 
germen, purplifh and incumbent. 
COROLLA ; five Petals, all of which clofe together 
and form the helmet, of thefe the two out- 
ermofl are ftrikingly marked with green 
parallel lines. 
LIP large, rupple, whitifh in the middle and dotted, 
having three lobes, of which the two fide 
Ones turn downward, the middle one fhorteft 
with a notch in it, all of them finely fawed. 
Spur nearly the length of the germen, {light- 
ly notched at top and tending upward. 
STAMINA; two Filaments; AntherrE green, 
club-fhaped, fplitting into two lamella;. 
fg- 2. 3- 5. 
Moft of the plants of the Orchis tribe as already has been obferved have bulbous roots which are yearly re- 
newed, they do not however encreafe in that abundant manner which many other bulbous-rooted plants are 
known to do ; as yet 1 have not heard of any one that has raifed them from feed, nor can I boaft a faft of that 
kind myfelf, yet frequent obfervation almoft confirms me in the opinion that they muft be propagated from feed 
if this be not admitted, liow fhali we account for fo many young plants being found together as are frequently 
oblerved ? I have myfelf feen from twenty to thirty young plants of the Bee Orchis growing within a foot of each 
other and it is well-known they feldom or never encreafe by the root ; accurate and repeated obfervation in na- 
tural hiftory IS capable of producing much information, and will It is hoped e're long fatisfaftorily elucidate this 
doubtful lubjeft. 
Some writers on the Materia Medica have pronounc’d this to be the true plant which produces the oriental 
Salep, while others fuppofe it to be lome other fpecies, there is one circumftance which makes it impoffible that this 
fpecies fhould produce all the Salep as many of the roots In that drug appear palmated like thofeofthe Orchis Macu- 
lata, whereas had they been the produce of the Orchis Morio they would all have appeared round, it would therefore 
appear moft probable that the Salep is formed from a number of the different fpecies mixed together ; there feems 
to lie no propriety m confining it to this fpecies alone, the mnfcula, the macukta, the hifilu, and fome others 
have large nr larger roots than this, and their quality appears to be the fame. 
The Orchis Morio grows in meadows that ate moderately dry, fuch as the Cowllip is nfually found in and 
lometimes they are lo numerous as to empurple the fpot they grow on. 
It aflumes ail t e changes of colour from a deep purple to a white, indeed there is no Orchis more variable in 
th.srelpea, but in all its varieties it retains more or lefs fttongly the green lines on its fide petals which obvi- 
oufly difhnguilh ir from all our other Orchis s. ^ 
It flowers in May and June. 
