136 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
[ August 13, 1885. 
this beautiful and interesting spot. I should say that through the kindness 
of the Baron we were permitted to see the small but choice gallery of 
pictures of the modern schools. There are some beautiful examples of 
Jerome, Paul Delaroche, Meissonier, Alma Tadema, &c., and a wonderful, 
perhaps unique, collection of signet rings. 
After spending a couple of hours here we again started for Virginia 
Water, and thence on to Ascot, where, at the Royal Hotel, dinner had 
been arranged for us. It is an old saying, “ Good wine needs no bush,” 
and so I suppose this hotel stands in no need of commendation ; but in 
cleanliness, in attention to the wants of visitors, and in moderate charges, 
I do not think it is to be excelled, and anyone who delights in beautiful 
English scenery might do worse than sojourn here for a while. We left 
Ascot at seven, and arrived at Slough in time for the S.37 train to Pad¬ 
dington, and have again to score a decided success in our club outins', 
and which has each year afforded those who took part in it so much 
pleasure.—D., Deal. 
THE ORCHIDACEOUS PLANTS OF HEREFORDSHIRE. 
[Read at the Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club by C. G. Martin, Esq., President.] 
Remarkable as our county is for many natural products, it cannot be 
said that the Orchidace®, particularly the rarer species, are so abundant as 
they are in some other counties in England. It is a defect which need not 
be regretted, except perhaps by an enthusiastic botanist. A very slight 
consideration will show that it may be regarded not only with equanimity, 
but with cheerful resignation. Orchids are seldom found upon the best soils. 
Where they abound the land is almost certain to be of an inferior quality, 
or indifferently cultivated. On poor, hungry, water-logged pastures, in wet 
woods and bogs, or upon thin chalky downs or bare limestone ranges, the 
Orchids will be generally found growing mo3t plentifully and luxuriantly. 
The construction of a large proportion of them would lead us to expect 
this. Plants which have thick, fleshy, bulbous roots and succulent stems 
require excessive moisture; a large proportion of the Orchidaceous group 
are of such a nature. Instances are known of pastures that once abounded 
with Orchids which have altogether disappeared, as the result of thorough 
drainage and better cultivation. We have no bogs in Herefordshire. We 
have not a wide extent of comparatively useless moorland. We have no 
chalk downs. Our limestone ranges are too argillaceous, and too poor in 
carbonate of lime, to satisfy the fastidious requirements of the higher 
classes of Orchids. In the British Flora the Orchidace® comprise sixteen 
genera and thirty-nine species. In our county we have nine genera and 
twenty-one species, with possibly four varieties, which are disputable. 
Some of these are very rare; but, so far as I know, many of the most 
refined, the most highly specialised of the Orchids, have never been found 
in Herefordshire. My own knowledge of the county is very much limited 
to the district immediately around our city, but I am greatly indebted to 
the Rev. Augustin Ley for much generous and helpful information as to 
the habitats of Orchids in other localities, to which I have never had 
access. Of the twenty-one species recorded for the whole county I have 
found fifteen in our own neighbourhood. 
I will not weary with any scientific description or technical details of 
the Orchid family which can be found in any “ Handbook of the British 
Flora.” I shall endeavour to give a general outline of each plant, and the 
locality where it has been found, together with anything of special interest 
in connection with it. 
1, Epipactis latifolia, or Broad-leaved Helleborine, is common in woods 
and shady places, and blossoms between July and September. The flowers 
vary somewhat in colour from purplish-green to deep purple. I have found 
them in Acornbury Woods, Haugh Wood, and Rotherwas Woods. Mr. Ley 
reports them from every district into which our county has been divided. 
There is a very curious feature connected with this flower which deserves 
recognition. Sir John Lubbock says, “ This flower has special attractions 
for wasps ; ” and he quotes Darwin as saying that, “ If wasps were to 
become extinct in any district so would E. latifolia.” 
[Yar. E. media, or Intermediate Helleborine. Var. E. ovalis. Yar. E. 
purpurata. Babington considers these varieties the same as E. latifolia, the 
differences being so trifling as not worthy of being classed as separate 
species.] 
2, Epipactis palustris, or Marsh Helleborine.—This is a beautiful flower. 
The florets are few, whitish, tinged with crimson, somewhat drooping, and 
they grow in a lax spike. It is rare, flowers in July and August, and grows 
in wet meadows and marshes. In our county it has been found at Ridgway 
Cross, Cradley. Lees, in his “ Botany of Malvern,” says “ it is plentiful at 
Tedstone, on the banks of the Sapey brook.” It has also been gathered on 
the rough moors, Mansel Gamage, at Burghope, and on the Moseley Common, 
Pembrid ge. 
3, Cephalanthera grandiflora, or Large White Helleborine, is a rare and 
handsome plant. The flowers grow in a distant spike, and appear during 
May and June. They are of large size, sometimes as pure as snow, some¬ 
times greenish-white, but more frequently delicately cream coloured, with a 
small yellow lip marked with raised lines. The leaves are broad and bright 
green. Until recently it was reported from only two localities in Hereford¬ 
shire, Huntsham Wood, and Lord’s Wood, on the Great Doward. But at our 
last field meeting Dr. Wood of Tarrington brought some fine specimens 
which he found in the parish of Canon Ffrome. 
4, Cephalanthera ensifolia, or Narrow-leaved white Helleborine. This is 
a rare plant of mountainous woods on limestone. The Rev. Frank Mere- 
wether brought me three or four plants in 1865, to ask me its name. The 
next day, by arrangement with him, I went to Woolhope, and he took me to 
the spot in Haugh Wood where he found it. Every year since, about the 
end of May or the beginning of June, I have gone to the same place and 
found it growing pretty plentifully. The only other place in Herefordshire 
where it has been gathered is Huntsham Wood. (Miss Lewis of Ludlow, 
nforms me to-day she has found it at Bringe Wood, near Ludlow, within the 
county of Hereford). It is a very elegant plant, blossoms somewhat spiked, 
white, the lip with slightly elevated lines on the disk, and a yellow spot in 
front. 
5, Listera ovata, or the common Twayblade.—This, though inconspi¬ 
cuous, is one of the commonest of our Orchidaceous plants (specimens pro¬ 
duced). It is readily distinguished by its two broad, glossy, ovate leaves, 
sometimes from 3 to 4 inches long, about half way up the stem. It varies 
in height, according to the locality where it grows, from 6 to 18 inches. 
The flowers are green, and they form a long loose spike, quite unattractive 
in appearance. But though it has so modest a bearing, there are few of our 
Orchids that are more interesting, and none of them show more contrivance 
and design in their structure. Hooker, Darwin, Sprengel, Sir John Lubbock, 
Dr. Miilier, and others have spent hours at a time in watching its mechan¬ 
ism, and Darwin devotes no less than thirteen pages (“Fertilisation of 
Orchids by Insects,” pp. 139-152) to his description and diagrams of it, and 
remarks upon it. It has great attractions for insects. 
6, Neottia nidus-avis, or Bird’s Nest Orchis.—This most remarkable plant, 
in appearance more like one of the Orobanches, has its stem, leaves (or 
rather scales), and flowers all of a dingy-brown hue. It is rather rare, 
but it is well represented in Herefordshire. It is said to have received its 
old name of “Bird’s Nest” from its peculiar root, which consists of very 
numerous tufted, cylindrical, fleshy fibres, and are supposed to remind one 
of the sticks used by some birds in the construction of their nests. This 
Orchis has been found in every district in our county. The members of the 
Club gathered them abundantly at our last field meeting in Acornbury 
Woods, on the 18th of last month. They have been unusually abundant 
this year in other counties as well as our own. 
7, Epipogium aphyllum, the yellow-flowered Leafless Orchis.—This might 
almost be called the Herefordshire Orchis. It is fully described by Mr. 
Edwin Lees in his “ Botany of Malvern.” His description is from a speci¬ 
men sent to him by the Rev. Gregory Smith, and was gathered in a copse 
called “ The Paradise,” close to Sapey Brook, at Tedstone Delamere, in 
1854. It was discovered and gathered by Mrs. Anderton Smith. It was 
dug up and placed in the Rectory garden. No other specimen has been 
since discovered, though carefully sought for. It has been found twice in 
a wood near Ludlow by Miss Lloyd in 1876, and by Miss Peel in 1878. It is, 
without doubt_, an extremely rare plant. It is known on the Continent, but 
even there it is most rare. Miss Lewis, of Ludlow, says that she saw the 
plant found in 1876 and 1878. There were three or four distant florets on 
the stem, similar to the Bee Orchis, but they were filmy and semi-transparent 
in appearance. As it has been twice found within the last decade on the 
borders, if not within our county, we may hope that it will be seen amongst 
us again ; and if it should be I venture to express the hope that it may be 
permitted to grow and seed, and have every chance of reproduction. 
8, Spiranthes autumnalis, or Lady’s Tresses, is a somewhat rare plant, 
but may be found in certain districts of our county, about the end of August 
and during September; It is reported from Lyston, Orcop, and St. Weonards, 
from Coughton Marsh and CoppetWood Hill, also between Hoarwithy and 
Carey. Mr. Ley found it at Hole-in-the-Wall, Mrs. Armitage at Dadnor, 
and it has been gathered in Gorstley Quarries. In central Herefordshire it 
is known to grow on the south side of Bishopstone Hill, and the Rev. R. H. 
Williams says that it grows plentifully at Byford. Mr. Crouch reports it 
from his district in the north-west; Mr. Lingwood from Llanthony; and I 
found it at Cublington in the parish of Madley. The flowers are white, with 
a sweet, though not powerful, scent of Almonds. They are spirally arranged, 
the florets all pointing one way, sometimes from right to left, sometimes 
from left to right. It is an especial favourite with bumble bees. They 
begin with the lowest floret on the stem, and climb to the top, extracting 
the nectar from each, “ in the same manner as a woodpecker climbs up the 
bark of a tree in search of insects.”— (Darwin). 
9, Orchis mascula, or early purple Orchis, the “ Cuckoo Flowers ” of our 
childhood and the “long purples” of Shakespeare is probably the com¬ 
monest of our native Orchises. It is a beautiful plant with spotted leaves 
and richly dyed petals, and is well known as the earliest of the class. I 
have often found it in March, and in April it is pretty general on indifferent 
pastures, in wet woods, in shady lanes, and even on the roadside. Bishop 
Mant wrote of it— 
"In that broad field of springing grass, 
First of hi- lip and homed class, 
The early-flowering Orchis show’d 
His smooth and spotted leaves, and glow’d 
With spiky stalk elate, and head 
Of spiral blossoms, purple red.” 
It is generally admitted that the O. mascula is the flower referred to by 
Shakespeare in Hamlet, Act iv., Scene 7, at the meeting of the Queen and 
Laertes, when she tells him of the death of Ophelia :— 
Queen.—T our sister’s drowned, Laertes 1 
Laertes.—D rowned! O, where? 
Queen.—T here is a willow grows ascaunt the brook, 
That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream. 
There, with fantastic garlands did she come, 
Of Crow-flowers, Nettles, Daisies, and Long Purples, 
That liberal shepherds give a grosser name, 
But our cold maids do Dead Men’s Fingers call them. 
The name which Shakespeare delicately hints at, and the other name which 
he cites, have both been preserved in old Herbals. They are unquestionably 
Orchids. They could not apply to any oth"r class in the floral world. The 
identity of the “Long Purples ” with the Orchis family has thus been fixed 
by Shakespeare himself.* He did not write with the precision of a botanist, 
but with the freedom of a poet. It is probable that he did not know the 
scientific distinction between one species and another. He looked upon 
flowers as “ charming factors in the general loveliness of nature,” and he 
did not hesitate to use their common well-known popular namps. “ Dead 
Men’s Fingers ” was the vulgar name applied to O. maculata, O. latifolia, 
and Gymnadenia conopsea, because of their peculiarly shaped, pale, palmate 
tubers (specimens shown), which are supposed to bear certain resemblances 
to the human hand. There is a touching old ballad that tells of the sorrows 
of a maiden who had lost her lover by death, and this name, with a slight 
variation, occurs in one of the stanzas :— 
“Then round the meddowes did she walke, 
Catching each flower by the stalke, 
Such as within the meddowes grew, 
As Dead Man’s Thumb and Harebell blew J 
And as she pluckt them, still■ ried she, 
Alas 1 there’s none e’er loved like me.”—( Roxburghe Ballads.) 
* Warburton, who wrote about a century ago, says “Long Purples” is the vulgar 
appellation for a beautiful species of wild flowers. Their botanical name is Orchis. 
