2775
E P I P A C T I S purpurata.
Purple-leaved, Helleborine.
G YN A ND R IA Monandria.
Gen. Char. Lip very concave at the base, the extremity
undivided or three-lobed, the middle lobe
large, and, as it were, jointed. Pollen farinaceous.—
Brown.
Spec. Char. Leaves ovate-lanceolate. Bracteas
linear, all twice as long as the flowers. Lip
shorter than the calyx, entire. Germen downy.
—Smith.
Syn. Epipactis purpurata. Sm. Engl. FI. v. 4. 4L
Hook. Brit. FI. 378; ed. 2. 374.
T h i s interesting and singular plant was discovered in
Worcestershire, in 1807, by the Rev. Dr. Abbott, who considered
it as parasitical, and communicated a specimen of
it to the late Sir James E. Smith, who has designated it
in his English Flora, E. purpurata, from the red purple
colour of its leaves. Dr. Abbott very justly observes, that
the “ whole plant when fresh glows with a beautiful red
lilac colour,” which peculiarity will readily distinguish this
species from any other of the genus in every stage of growth.
I have found several patches of this plant growing under
the shade of a clump of lime-trees and hazel-bushes in the
woods at Woburn Abbey, and have uniformly observed it
to retain its red purple lilac hue, which, previous to the
maturity and development of the flowers, is even much
more conspicuous on every part of the plant than represented
on the annexed plate.