THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 
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a fortnight later, on the same ground. The tuhers are palmate, and 
not long-tapering, as so often in O. inccirnata. The stem is hollow 
in varying degrees, sometimes nearly solid, and scarcely ever so hollow 
as with O. inccirnata. The height of the plant is very variable, 
from 2 to 7 dm. ; the habit may be slender, but is more often robust. 
The leaves are always unspotted, as in 0. incarnata, and may 
somewhat approach these in type, but on the whole they are very 
different, more spreading, less evenly tapered, often broadest above 
the middle, and of a more ovate-lanceolate type, though narrow- 
linear forms sometimes occur. They are usually not so fleshy in 
texture, nor so heavily keeled, nor have they the yellowish tint very 
often found in O. incarnata. They do not often come above the 
base of the spike, and rarely overtop it, though they often do in 
O. incarnata. The bracts are very variable, from very broad to 
somewhat narrow, more divaricate, scarcely ever curving inwards, as 
those of O. incarnata usually do. The flowers are usually purple in 
colour, but range from a soft dark crimson-purple to very pale lilac 
and white. This colour-range is quite unlike the O. incarnata series 
of maroon, flesh-tint, yellowish-pink, straw-yellow, rose, and dead- 
white ; nor are the purples the same as those which are found in 
some groups of O. incarnata. The texture of the flowers is thinner 
than m those of O. incarnata. The flowers themselves are usually 
larger, the lips not at first reflexed, and usually broader than long. 
The side-lobes are very regular; the centre-lobe is distinct and 
rounded or sometimes bluntly wedge-shaped, and sometimes long and 
prominent, even pointed. The lip-markings are typically fine dots 
and streaks, very different from the line-pattern characteristic of 
O. incarnata. Measurements of a good many lips from various 
localities give lengths of G to 8 mm., with corresponding breadths of 
7 to 12 mm. ; this is very different from the almost equal length and 
breadth of O. incarnata , of which the great majority are about 7 mm. 
each wav.' The sepals are of the erect t} 7 pe, but not, as a rule, quite 
so completely turned back as in O. incarnata ; the spur is usually 
nearly straight, and slightly longer and less stout than in O. incarnata. 
Where a plant has a pale lilac colour and grows near pale specimens of 
O. incarnata , a cross may be suspected; but we have seen some very 
pale plants which were otherwise of quite normal type. 
The largest specimen we have seen is from the Isle of Wight, and 
was sent bv the late Mr. Hunnybun. It was 7 dm. high, with a 
spike 14‘5 cm. by 4 cm. and seven leaves, of which the longest was 
2 dm. in length and the broadest 3‘3 cm. in width ; the two upper¬ 
most were bract-like, not reaching the base of the spike, the lower bracts 
large, much exceeding the flowers. The spur was about two-thirds 
as long as the ovary, rather shorter than usual, stout; the lip 8 mm. 
long and 10 mm. wide, with very regular side and centre lobes, the 
flowers purple, and the lip with fine spots. Dr. Druce mentions 
(Rep. B. E. C. 1917, pp. 53 and 159) a lusus ecalcarata, and a 
lusus reverse , having the ovary not twisted, also a sub-variety albi- 
floras , from Berks. M. Sipkes has also named a var. niacrantha, to 
which reference will be made later. 
The var. pulchella is, in all respects except the flower, similar 
to the type. There may be, however, a larger proportion of slender 
