m
ORCHIS MACULÂTA. SPOTTED PALMATE
ORCHIS.
ORCHIS macuïala ; labello piano trilobo crenalo, petalis supcrioribus conniventïbus, lateralibus paten
tibus, cornu cylïndraceo genuine breviore, bractois longitudinc gërminis.
ORCHIS maculata. Linn. Sp. PI. p. 1335. Huds. A n g l.p . 385. L ig h t/. Scot.p. 517. With. Bot.
A r r . ed. 4. ml. 2. p i 27. Oed. Fl. Dan. t. 933. Hoffm. Germ. al. 2. m l. 1. P . II. p. 174.
W illi Sp. PI. ml. 4. ». 31. Smith Fl. B r it. p. 925. Engl. Bot. t. 632. Swartz de Orchid.
». 18. Decand. Fl. Fr. ed. 3. ml. 3. p . 252. Fl. Gall. Syn. ». 170. P e n . Syn. PI. ml. 2.
p . 505. A it. Hurt. K m . ed. 2. ml. 5. p. ISO. Wahl. Fl. L app.p. 215. Richard m Mém.
du Mus. vol. 4. p. 55.
ORCHIS radicibus palmatis, caule solido, labello trifido, serrato, medio segmenta acuminato. Hall.
H e lv .n . 1278. t. 32.
ORCHIS palmata speciosiore thyrso, folio maculato. The Female-handed Orchis, or Female Satyrion
Royal. R ail Syn. p . 381.
Dan. Gudshaand. Dut. Gevlakt standelkruid. Fr. 1 ’Orchis à feuilles tachetées. Germ. Diege -
. JlecJcte Orchis. Norw. Marihaand. Russ. Stagatschka. Swed. Jungfru Maria hand. Welsh.
Tegeirian manog byseddog.
Class and Order. G Y N A N D R IA M O N A N D R IA (D IA N D R . Linn).
[N atural Order. ORCHIDEAL, J uss., Decand., B rown. D iv . I. Anthera adnata' subterminalis, persistens.
Pollinis-massee e lobulis angulatis elastice cohsrentibus; basi affixa. Br.]
Gen . Char. Corolla ringens. Labellum basi subtus calcaratum. Glandulee (1-2) pedicellorum pollinis inclus®
cucullo unico. B r . in Wort. Kezo.
Gen . Char. Corolla ringent. Labellum spurred at the base beneath. Glands (1-2) of the footstalks of the pollen
inclosed in one common little pouch.
Radix e bulbis duobus, palmatis, fibrisque paucis, sim-
plicibus, flexuosis.
Caulis pedalis, erectus, strie tus, sulcatus, gracilis, solidus,
foliosus, viridis.- ' ' :
Folia alterna, carinata, læte-viridia,maculis nigris picta ;
inferiora ovato-lanceolata, obtusa ; media lanceo-
lata, subacuminata, fere palmaria, patentia, basi
vaginata; superiora sensim minora, attenuata,
fere subulata.
Spica densa, ovata, multiflora.
Bracteæ subulato-lanceolatæ, germen suboequantes.
Flores albidi vel rubicundi, maculis lineisque purpureis
- varie picti, raro immaculati.
Petala anguste ovata, tria exteriora patentia, duo in-
teriora eonniventia, galeata : Labellum amplum
figura mire variât, nunc rotundatum, crenatum,
obtuse-trilobum (Jig. 3.), plerumque obcordatum,
trilobum, lobis lateralibus latioribus,.integris, vel
emarginatis, intermedio longiore, ovato : Calcar
subulatum, obtusum, germinis longitudine.
Columna brevis.
Anthera terminalis, anguste ovata, erecta, biloculans,
basi attenuata, unisaccata : Mass® pollinis ob-
scure-virides, pedicellate, basi glandulis minutis,
distinctis, rotundatis.
Germen lineari-oblongum, tortuosum.
Stigma subquadratum.
Root consisting of two palmate bulbs, and of a few simple,
flexuose fibres.
Stem a foot in height, erect, straight, furrowed, slender,
solid, leafy, green.
Leaves alternate, keeled, o f a lively green, marked with
black spots ; the inferior ones ovato-lanceolate,
obtuse ; the centre ones lanceolate, slightly acuminated,
nearly a span long, patent, sheathing at
the base ; the superior ones gradually smaller, attenuated,
nearly subulate.
Spike dense, ovate, many-flowered.
Bracteas subulato-lanceolate, equalling the germen in
length.
Flowers white or red, marked variously with spots or
streaks of purple, rarely being without spots.
Petals narrowly ovate, the three exterior patent, the
two interior connivent, helmet-shaped : Labellum
large, varying remarkably in figure, sometimes
roundish, crenate, bluntly three-lobed(/gv3.) generally
obcordate, three-lobed, tbe lateral lobes
the broadest, entire or emarginate, the intermediate
one the longest, ovate : Spur subulate, obtuse,
the same length as the germen.
Column of fructification, short.
Anther terminal, narrowly ovate, erect, bilocular, attenuated
at the base, in one little pouch : Pollen
masses dark-green, pedicellate, at the base
furnished with round, minute, distinct' glands.
Germen between linear and oblong, twisted.
Stigma subquadrate.
Fig. 1, 2, 3. Different oppearances of the flower.- Fig. 4. Single pollen-mass removed from a cell of the
anther—all magnified.
Bv no means an uncommon plant by the sides of roads and fields, in woods and old pastures, flowering the
latter end of June. The flowers have an agreeable perfume, and are remarkable for no inconsiderable degree of
variation both in their form and colour. At all times, however, even the form of the labellum will distinguish this
species from Orchis latifolia, to which it comes the nearest, and with which it also agrees in the palmate bulbs.
Our plant has, however, a solid.stalk, and is far more slender; and has the bractem as short as, or perhaps even
shorter than, the germen. . , , . ^ ...
In rich pastures the flowers are larger than when the plant grows in poorer and drier soils; and on that account
the specimen here figured has its blossoms probably rather exceeding the usual size.