THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
179 
been forgotten, and many authors call the plant 
“Tresses,” supposing it to have been adopted from 
resemblance to a tress or curl of hair. 
The old botanic name of the plant is Neottia, from 
the Greek for bird’s-nest, given it, says an old writer, 
“because the plaiting of the roots, one among the 
other, resembled a crow’s nest.” However, the name 
Spiranthes is now universally adopted. 
The genus comprises about fifty varieties, nearly all 
of them being natives of the new world, though few 
are found in the United States. Spiranthes cernua, or 
Drooping-flowered Ladies’ Traces—from the downward 
habit of the flowers—is the most familiar. I believe it 
is not found west of the Mississippi, and is very local, 
but where found, like many of its family, it grows pro¬ 
fusely. Among American genera there are two be¬ 
sides Spiranthes belonging to the tribe Neottia, Good- 
yera, or Rattlesnake Plantain, and Listera, or Tway- 
blade. All of the species of Spiranthes differ from the 
other genera in having a callous protuberance on the 
base at either side of the lip. It is easier to distinguish 
the genera than the species; like varieties often differ 
greatly, according to locality or circumstances. There 
are several points, however, which materially assist 
the botanist in classifying them. One of these is the 
division of the genus into two sections. The species in 
the first division have the flowers in three ranks form¬ 
ing a spike; m the second, the flowers are in one 
straight or spiral rank. In some species the rachis— 
that part of the stem to which the flowers are attached 
—is perfectly straight, the flowers seeming coiled 
around it; in others, the stem itself is screw-like. Then 
the roots differ, being fibrous in some species, and 
tuberous in others. Darwin, in his “Fertilization of 
Orchids,” discusses the Spiranthes at some length, con¬ 
sidering it wonderfully adapted for fertilization by 
insects, closing his observations thus: “Then, as soon 
as the bee arrives at the summit of the spike, she will 
withdraw fresh pollen, will fly to the flowers on 
another stalk and fertilize them; and thus, as she goes 
her rounds and adds to her store of honey, she continu¬ 
ally fertilizes fresh flowers, and perpetuates the lace of 
our autumnal Spiranthes, which will yield honey to 
future generations of bees.” 
It is often noticeable, in comparing plant names of 
different ages or countrie s, that they may all be put to 
one origin, the result of some resemblance or virtue, 
either real or fancied. Take, for example, one of our 
Orchids, the Cypripedium. Its botanic name, formed 
from Cypris, Venus, and podion, a sock or buskin, gives 
its common English name of Venus or Ladies’ Slipper. 
The Germans call it “ Venus’ Shoe” ; the French, reject¬ 
ing the heathen goddess, call it the “Virgin’s Sabot;” 
the Spanish, “Our Lady’s Slipper,” while the native 
American name is “ Mocassin Flower.” 
The smallest native variety ( C. anetinum ) is locally 
known as “Ram’s-head Lily ;” but this does not seem 
appropriate as the synonyms given above. They are 
all suggested by the singular shape of the lip, which 
forms an inflated sac, strikingly like a slipper. Indeed, 
some of the tropic species, divested of the petals and 
sepals, which rise above, might be taken for the wax 
model of a tiny sabot. Nature delights to repeat her¬ 
self, and in the Orchid tribe offers us many imitations 
of things both animate and inanimate. An unknown 
poet prettily suggests as the origin of our Cypripedium: 
“ Haply some Cinderella passed, 
A maid of Flora's crew. 
Who, hasting to her sister nymph, 
Left us her flowery shoe.” 
The commonest variety in our northern woods is 
C. acaule, Stemless Lady’s-slip per. The petals and se¬ 
pals are greenish, the slipper shape is less pronounced 
than in other varieties, the lip being more like sac, with 
a closed fissure down its whole length in front; the 
color is rose-purple. The flowers are solitary and fra¬ 
grant, found in dry wmods northward, especially Pine 
barrens. A tincture of the root forms a mild narcotic, 
very soothing in nervous diseases. 
C. candidum, is a dainty little species, with pure- 
white, slipper-shaped lip. It is found in shaded swamps 
throughout the Northern States, but is rare. 
Cypripedium pubescens, or yellow Lady’s Slipper, is a 
striking variety, growing to the height of two feet. 
The lip is large, pale-yellow in color, petals greenish, 
crimson-spotted, sepals long and twisted. Both flowers 
and leaves are hairy, as implied by its specific name. 
It is found in dry woods northward, flowering in May. 
There is a smaller yellow species, C. parviflcrum. 
C. spectabile (Showy Lady’s Slipper) is the most beau¬ 
tiful of the genus. The sepals are round ovate, longer 
than the petals; the lip much inflated, mottled white 
and rosy-purple ; found in peat bogs northward, flower¬ 
ing in July, somewhat later than others of the genus. 
They may all be cultivated either by seed or transplant¬ 
ing. Besides our six native species, the Cypripediums 
are represented in Europe, Siberia, Japan and India, 
while skillful cultivation has produced some beautiful 
hybrids. 
According to Pliny and Galen, the root affords an ex¬ 
cellent farinaceous food (similar to the Orchis) and is 
also highly extolled as a tonic and stomachic. As 
stated in a former paper, terrestrial Orchids are very 
well represented in our country, but we have few of 
the “air-plants,” and these few have been discovered 
within a comparatively recent date. Epidendron con- 
opseum was the first of its kind found within the 
limits of the United States. It was discovered by 
William Bartram, during a botanical expedition to 
Florida in 1772, and is reported in “Hortus Kewensis ” 
as introduced into England in 1775. Its leaves are lan¬ 
ceolate and spreading, scape many flowered, petals and 
sepals spatulate, lip three-lobed; color greenish, tinged 
with purple. It is not at all striking, yet cannot fail 
to draw attention by its oddity. Our species was 
formerly known as Epidendron Magnolia, as its dis¬ 
coverer found it growing on Mongolia grandiflora, and 
because it generally occurs on that tree, though it is 
found on others. Its name Epidendron (signifying, on 
a tree) was given it by Linnaeus, in allusion to its man¬ 
ner of growth, he considering it a parasitic herb. It is 
not a tree parasite, however; for though it is supported 
mechanically by the tree, it draw's most of its nourish¬ 
ment from the air. 
We say most of its nourishment, for it is not strictly 
true to say that the air plants are wholly dependent on 
the atmosphere for tneir food. On analysis these plants 
will be found possessed of mineral salts non-existent 
in the air though it is not clear how the plants obtain 
them It is not at all necessary to their growth that 
they should be placed upon a tree or branch, for I have 
seen them flourishing on a bit of biscuit ware, 
