63 
THE .TOUKNAL OF EOT ANY 
The European distribution of the species has not yet been worked 
out. M. Sipkes, however ( De Levende Natuur , June 1921), gave 
several stations in Holland, both for this species and for O . purpurella 
Stephenson. He has also named as O. prcetermissa var. macraniha 
a form with a long narrow extension of the lip, which probably 
occurs in Britain as well as in Holland. The Hutch plants appear to 
have a higher proportion of pale lilac flowers than with us. 
One further point needs to he noted, namely the relation of 
O. pulchella to O. purpurella Stephenson. In Journ. Bot. 1920, 
p. 161, where we described and named O. purpurella , we noted and 
d iscussed its close connexion with O. pulcliella, with which at that 
time we had only a very slight acquaintance ; since then we have 
seen a large number of specimens and studied it in the field. There 
is no doubt that the two forms are very near to one another, geneti¬ 
cally, O. purpurella being a dwarf spotted relative of 0. jmlchella, 
just as the Scandinavian O. cruenta seems to be a dwarf spotted 
relative of O. incarnata. O. pulchella is much more abundant in 
Britain than O. purpurella ; in some Scottish stations the two 
forms are found growing together. In the two Welsh stations so far 
noted for the most characteristic form (a) of O. purpurella, there is 
no trace of O. pulchella, though it is recorded from Towyn, not 
very far from Aberystwyth where the former occurs. There is no 
reason to think that O. purpurella is a hybrid. The two forms, 
purpurella and pulchella, appear to be mutants; quite possibly, 
though not certainly, the spotted dwarf species has arisen from the 
larger unspotted species. We have discussed this point in the 
previous paper, and are confirmed in that position by all we have 
since observed. 
In a very interesting paper in Rep. B. E. C. 1921, p. 432, Mr. T. 
A. Byrnes has analysed the characters of the seeds of the British 
Dactylorchids. Some of his material has been kindly placed at our 
disposal, including preparations of the seeds of 0 . pulchella, which is 
not touched upon in the paper referred to above. Following his 
method of diagnosis, we find that there is a marked difference between 
the seeds of O. purpurella and O. pulchella. The seeds of O. pur¬ 
purella are the smallest of the group, with an abruptly-pointed 
apex, indented at the base, whilst those of O. pulchella are longer, 
with a rounded apex, only a little narrowed from the middle of the 
seed. This is in form precisely like those of the typical prcetermissa, 
but for being a little more slender in the specimens which we have 
seen. Moreover, the seeds of var. pulchella agree with those of the 
type in having rather long loose testal cells, and not the closer mesh 
of O. purpurella, whose small rather dusky seeds are easily dis¬ 
tinguished from all others of the group. 
The plate from a photograph (t. 566) shows two of the many 
types of O. prcetermissa. We owe it to the kindness of Mr. Marriott, 
of El v. The plants are from Norfolk. Frequently the spike is much 
larger and looser than in the specimens figured. Of the enlarged 
single flowers A represents a common form of the type, and is from 
an Aberystwyth plant; B will be near to, if not precisely like, 
var. macrantlia. It is from South Wales. 
