perfeaion at tins prefect time, June 1, 1794, is the pride of my garden at Brompton : this muft be regarded 
« the true of Lmsatus, fince it is indifputably the fame as the one figured by Vaillant to 
which he refers, and the Orchis araneam referens of C. Baohine, to wh,ch he alio refers ; indeed as inch t is 
admitted by Profeffor Murray, in the 14th edition of the Syjlema Vegetab. with a fuitable fpecific defcnption 
according with that of Haller. It is evident that Mr. Hudson- when he gave to the fpecies here figured, 
the name of aranfera (a term fynonymous with that of arachnites ) and which he was the fir ft to defcnbe 
fpecifically in the Linnseari ftyle (though Ray in his Synopfis had pointed out its ftnkxng charafter) regarded 
the arachnites of Linnaeus and the 5 variety of it as the fame fpecies, from his referring Wtwo different 
figures in Vaillant for his plant; this he ought not to have done, but following Linn/EUSs reference to 
Bauhine have felefted the term fucifera, which we have been under the neceffity of doing, rather than be 
fubject to ’the confufion arifing from having two different plants called by fynonymous terms. 
Our plant is the Ophrys, commonly known in this country by the name of the Bee Orchis with green 
winas the petals being altogether of an herbaceous colour ; while 111 the apt f era, already figured three of 
tlv-m are pale purple ; as they differ in colour, fo do they alfo very materially in fhape and as thefe differences 
arc invariable any other mark of diferimination is almoff fuperfluous, yet we may obferve that they flower 
at two very different periods, the fucifera has fometimes been found in mild feafons in bloom as early as 
March in 'late ones in May, while the apifera rarely flowers till the end of June or beginning of July. 
Some authors have fancied that the flowers of this plant bore a refemblance to a bee or a lpider, it muff 
be confeffcd that much of this fimilitude depends on the imagination; others have dilcovered a more real 
likenefs to a fmall bird in each flower : this appearance will be obvious to our readers on infipeHing the p ate. 
When a triflino- likenefs of this fort has occurred in plants, or animals, the old authors generally improved on 
it; even Tournefort’s figure of this part of our plant is fomewhat outre in this refpecl. 
In this fpecies the neftary, which at firft is of a bright and very rich brown colour, foon changes to a faded 
yellow green ; when the flowering is over, the petals incline forward, and clofe over the nedary. 
Though the Opbr. apifera is found abundantly near London, this fpecies has not yet been obferved equally 
near- we have feen it growing, though very fparingly, in the chalk pits near Leatherhead ; in the neighbourhood 
of Bury in Suffolk ■ alfo, about Cambridge it is found fome years in great abundance: from the former 
place we have been favoured with roots of it by Sir Th. G. Cullum, Bart, and from the latter by Profeffor 
Martyn, and the Rev. J. Davies, of Trinity-College : it has been obferved alfo in various other parts of the 
kingdom. 
Such as delight in the culture of flowers will be pleafed to find, that with a little attention and management 
p-ev may fucceed in making this plant grow and flower with them more freely than many of the tribe ; we 
recommend to them tire following method, which we have found fuccelsful : take up the roots carefully when 
in flower bare them no more than is neceffary to remove every other kind of root about them, fall a large- 
fized garden pot with three parts choice loam moderately {tiff, and one part chalk mixed well together and 
palled through a fievq fomewhat finer than a common cinder fieve, in this mixture place your roots at about 
the depth' of two inches, and three inches apart, water them occafionally during fummer if the weather 
prove dry at the approach of winter place your pot in a frame under a glafs to keep them from wet and 
firoff which combined deftroy the beauty of the foliage, if not the plant itfelf; in the autumn before any of 
the others make their appearance, you will perceive the leaves of this fpecies emerge, much looner indeed 
than might be expe&ed. 
