Great Orchis. 
Orchis Fusca. 
ORCHIS. Linn. Gen. PI. Gynandria Diandria. 
Nectarium cornu referens pone florem. Cor. ringens. 
Rail Syn. Gen. z 6 . Herbas bulbosis affines. 
ORCHIS fufca bulbis indivifis, neftarii labio quadrifido : laciniis oblongis, cornu brevi, petalis 
confluentibus. Linn. Syji. Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p. 80 9. Jacq. Bl. Aujlr. v. 4. p. 4. 
/. 307. 
ORCHIS militaris Linn. Sp. Pl. ed. 3. p. 1334- var - 
ORCHIS radicibus fubrotundis; fpica longa; labello quadrifido, brachiolis angultis, crufculis latis 
ferratis. Hali. Hijl. Helv. n. 127 6. A 31. 
ORCHIS magna, latis foliis, galea fufca feu nigricante. J. B. II. p. 759. Ran Syn. ed. 3. p. 378. 
t. 19. f 2. 
ORCHIS militaris major. Tourn. Injl. R. Herb. 432. Vaill. far. t. 31. f 37, 28. 
RADIX: Bulbi duo, oblongi, magni. § 
FOLIA caulina inferiora ovato-oblonga, obtufiufcula, 0 
a duabus ad tres uncias lata, glabra, lineata, $ 
in quibufdam fpeciminibus tranfverfe rugofa, * 
Ise te virentia, fuperiora anguftiora, caulem 1 
obvolventia. A 
CAULIS pedalis, ad bipedalem, et ultra, ere&us, teres, Q 
laevis, inferne viridis, fuperne purpureus. 6 
FLORES numerofi, in fpica longa, ovato-cylindracea, 9 
imbricarim denfe collocati. * 
BRACTEAE perbreves, vix longitudine calcaris nec- 6 
tarii, ovato-acuminatae. y> 
COROLLA: Petala 5 in galeam conniventia, tria < 
exteriora ovata, acuta, obfolete 3-nervia, ' 
concava, punftis exfufco-purpureis confluen- 
tibus notata, duo interiora multo anguftiora, 
oblonga, verfus apicem paululum dilatata, 
pallidiora, pun&is purpureis etiam notata, 
M- 1- 
NECTARIUM : Calcar obtilfum, fubcompreflum, ob- 
folete bifidum, medium germinis vix attin- 
gens, albefcens : Labellum amplum, latum, 
punftis purpureis prominulis exafperatum, \ 
quae uti Hallerus redle monet brevium pilo- f 
rum fafciculi funt, in floribus nuper apertis 1 
faturatius purpureum, praefertim ad oras, 
quadrifidum, laciniae fuperiores fublineares, 
divergentes, inferiores triplo latiores, diver- 
gentes, apicibus fubtruncatis, erofo-denticu- 
latis, mucrone plerumque intermedio. 
STAMINA: Theca flaminum purpureae, fg. 2. Fila- 
menta flavefcentia. Anthers fubclavatx, 
albidae, fg. 3. 
GERMEN teretiufculum, tortuofum, glabrum, ex 
fufco viridique varium. 
ROOT two, oblong, large Bulbs. 
LEAVES : thofe on the lower part of the ftalk ovato- 
oblong, a little blunt, from two to three 
inches broad, glofly, fcored, in fome fpecL 
mens tranverfely wrinkled, of a lively green 
colour, the uppermoft leaves narrower and 
furrounding the ftalk. 
STALK a foot, two feet, and fometimes more in 
height, upright, round, fmooth, green below, 
purple above. 
FLOWERS numerous, placed clofe together, one 
over the other, in a long fpike, betwixt 
ovate and cylindrical. 
BRACTEfE very fhort, fcarcely the length of the 
fpur of the ne&ary, ovato-acuminate. 
COROLLA: 5 Petals clofing and forming a hel- 
* met, the three outermoft ovate, pointed, 
faintly three ribb’d, concave, marked with 
fpots of a brownilh purple colour running 
together, the two innermoft ones much nar- 
roweft, oblong, a little dilated towards the 
top, paler, marked alfo with purple fpots, 
fig- i- 
NECTARY : the Spur blunt, fomewhat flattened, 
Ilightly bifid, fcarcely reaching to the middle 
of the germen : Labellum large, broad,, rough, 
with prominent purple dots, which, as Haller 
juftly obferves, are little tufts of fhort hairs, 
in flowers lately opened of a deeper purple 
colour, efpecially on the edges, divided into 
four fegments, the two uppermoft of which 
are nearly linear and diverging, the two 
lowermoft thrice as broad, diverging, the 
tips fomewhat truncated, irregularly and 
finely notched, with a fhort point for the 
moft part between the two. 
STAMINA : Cafes of the ftamina purple, fg. 2. 
Filaments yellowifh. Anthers fomewhat 
club-fhaped, whitifh, fg. 3. 
GERMEN roundifh, twifted, fmooth, variegated with 
green and brown. 
On chalky banks abounding with Milkwort and Juniper, near woods, and in the woods themfelves, in many 
parts of Kent, efpecially about Rochefter, we have had no finall pleafure in obferving this plant grow in areat 
abundance. 6 0 
In expofed afpe&s its ufual height is about nine inches, in woods and copfes where it is more fheltered and 
where the foil is richer, it will acquire the height of two feet or more ; fuch fpecimens in beauty and orandeur 
far furpafs every Bntilh Orchis ; its flowers vary exceedingly in colour, fome being of a light, others of a deep 
purple colour, now and then one wholly white occurs ; the lip of the neftary, an intereftino- obieft for the 
microfcope, varies alfo in breadth; both root and flowers fend forth a ftrong fmell, fomewhat like but not fo 
pleafant as Anthoxanthum. 
It flowers early in May, and in forward feafons at the clofe of April, at the fame time as the earlv fpotred 
Orchis, Cowflip, and Harebell. ^ F 
Our plant is undoubtedly the Orchis fufca of Jacquin,' whofe name we have adopted as alfo the one we 
have referred to in Haller, by whom it is reprefenjed in a very luxuriant ftate ; Linnaeus regards it as 
a variety of his militaris; Prof. Murray, in the 14th ed. of his Syft. Vegetab. follows Ray°H yli f 
Jacquin, Vaillant, and others, in making it a fpecies. ^ ’ ' ERj 
The fame culture which we have recommended for the Ophiys fucifcra is applicable to this fpecies 
