Orchis Latifolia, 
Marsh Orchis, 
ORCHIS Lin. Gen. PL Gynandria Diandria. 
NeBarium corniforme pone florem. 
Rail Syn. HerBje Bulbosis Affines. 
ORCHIS latifolia bulbis fubpal matis re£tis, neftarii cornu conico labio trilobo lateralibus reflexo, 
bra6teis flore longioribus. Lin. Syjl. Vegetab. ed. 14* p- 810. Sp. PL. 1334* FI. Suec. 
n. 801. 
ORCHIS radicibus palmatis, caule fiftulofo, braftsis maximis, labello trifido ferrato : medio 
fegmento obtufo. Haller, hijl. 1279. t. 32. 
ORCHIS latifolia. Scopoli FI. Carn. n. 1118. 
ORCHIS palmata pratenfis latifolia, longis calcaribus. Bauh. Pin. 85* 
PALMA CHRISTI mas. Ger. emac. 220. 
ORCHIS palmata mas f. Palma Chrifti mas. Park. 1 356. 
ORCHIS palmata non maculata. I. B. II. 774. Raii Syn. p. 380. The Male-Handed Orchis, or 
Male Satyrion Royal. Lightfoot Fl. Scot. p. 516. Hudjon FI. Angi. ed. 2. p. 385* 
RADIX bulbofa, bulbis palmatis. | 
CAULIS plerumque pedalis aut fefquipedalis ; ad | 
apicem fere foliofus, craffus, fiftulofus, fu- $ 
perne fubangulofus, glaber. | 
FOLIA e flavo viridia, fubere&a, glabra, nobifcum f 
immaculata, plerifque hujus generis et lon- | 
giora et latiora. \ 
0 
FLORES nobifcum faspius rofei feu carnei, ftepe $ 
purpurei, raro albi, fpicati, conferti. $ 
I 
SPICA fubovata, foliofa. $ 
BRACTEAE magnee, acuminatae, coloratas, l. | 
COROLLA : petala quinque, duo exteriora ovato- ^ 
lanceolata, fubere&a, parum maculata, jig. $ 
3. interiora conniventia, jig. 4. Calcar ger- | 
mine brevius, conicum, incurvum, obtufum. | 
NECTARIUM obfolete trilobum lineolis et pun£lis | 
faturatioribus pulchre variegatum, lateribus <> 
per aetatem reflexis, jig. 2. 
<j> 
STAMINA: Filamenta duo; Anther m fub- <> 
rotundo-clavatae, e luteo-virefcentes, jig. 5. | 
au£h § 
ROOT bulbous, bulbs palmated, or handed. 
STALK ufually a foot or a foot and a half high, 
leafy almoft to the top, thick, hollow, fome- 
what angular above, perfe&ly fmooth. 
LEAVES of a yellowifh-green colour, nearly up- 
right, fmooth, fpotlefs with us, and both 
longer and broader than moft of this tribe. 
FLOWERS with us for the moft part rofe or flefh- 
coloured, often purple, rarely white, grow- 
ing in a fpike thickly together. 
SPIKE fomewhat ovate, and leafy. 
FLORAL-LEAVES large, long-pointed, and co- 
loured,^-. 1. 
COROLLA pentapetalous, the two outermoft ovato- 
lanceolate, nearly upright, fpotted a little, 
jig. 3. the innermoft clofing together, jig, 4. 
the Spur (horter than the germen, conical, 
incurved, and blunt. 
NECTARY faintly three-lob’d, beautifully variegated 
with fmall lines and dots of a deeper co- 
lour, the fides reflexed with age, jig. 2. 
STAMINA: two Filaments ; Anthers roundifh, 
club-lhaped, of a yellowifh-green colour, 
jig. 5. magnified. 
The Orchis Latifolia is particularly diflinguifhed from the others, by growing (with us at leaft) only in 
very wet meadows, where Valeriana dioica, Menyanthes trifoliata, and Lychnis Flos Cucuh, ufually abound, 
and from which circumftance, we have called it Marfh Orchis, by its fpotlefs foliage, which is of a yellowifh- 
green colour, and by the uncommon length of the floral leaves, which give the fpike a very leafy appearance. 
It comes neareft to the maculata : Haller reprefents the leaves fomewhat fpotted, and Linnaeus defcribes 
them parum maculata ; we do not find them fo in the neighbourhood of London ; but probably they may 
be fo in other places : fhould that be the cafe, thefe two plants will approach ftill nearer to each other. 
With us, pink is the moft predominant colour of its bloffoms, though they are frequently found purple, 
and fometimes white ; even in the fame meadow. 
We neecl go no further than Batterfea-Meadows to find this plant in tolerable abundance ; at a greater 
diftance from town it will be found much more plentifully; it flowers towards the latter end of May. 
It is more eafily cultivated than many of the fame genus, and if planted in a moift border, in a mixture 
of bog earth and loam, will grow to a much greater fize than is reprefented on the plate. 
