/ L a. [ 5 °5 ]
S A T Y R I U M albidum.
White Satyrion.
G T N A N D R I A Diandria.
G en. Char. Ne&ary an inflated roundifh bag behind
the flower.
Spec. C har. Bulbs falciculate. Leaves lanceolate.
Lip of the nedtary three-cleft, acute ; the middle
fegment longeft.
Syn. Satyrium albidum. Linn. Sp. PI. 1 3 3 8 . Hudf.
3 8 7 . With. 3 1 . Light/. 5 19 . Dick/. H. Sicc.
fafc. 1 . 1 5 .
Orchis palmata thyrfo fpeciofo, Iongo, denfe ftipato,
ex. viridi albente. Dill, in Rail Syn. 3 8 2 .
L RESH fpecimens of this rare plant were fent us in June
laft from Hafod, Cardiganfhire, by Mifs Johnes. It grows
copioufly on the elevated expofed grafiy hills which furround
that romantic place, as well as in fimilar fituations in Scotland;
nor have we ever obferved it in moift meadows, as Hudfon
(after Dr. Richardfon in Ray’s Synopfis) mentions. Hence I
have been led to fufpedl the propriety of this fynonym, and
whether the preceding Orchis, n. 23, which remains unnoticed
by late authors, may not rather belong to the plant before us.
It mull be confefled, indeed, that the epithet “ odorata”
fcarcely agrees with Satyrium albidum, but neither does
thyrfo fpeciofo.’ ' I have had fome idea of this n. 23 being
N the Orchis famhucina, which the Rev. Mr. Wood of Leeds
thinks he once found near Snowdon.
The root of S. albidum is thus explained by Mr. Sowerby,
from the confideration of feveral fpecimens: a a central fibre ;
b one a little above it; cc a pair of fibres, one on each fide ;
v dd a pair of old bulbs, the origin of the prefent plant; « a
pair of bulbs for next leafon ; f f a younger pair.
The Item is fcarcely a foot high, roundifh, leafy. Leaves
fheathing, lanceolate, of a light green, rather glaucous beneath,
the lowermoft broadeft and moft obtufe. Spike of
many fmall greenifh-white flowers, almoft inodorous, each of
them accompanied by a lanceolate bradhea rather longer than
the germen. Petals concave, all nearly equal. Spur longer
than in moft of the genus, fo as almoft to make it an Orchis
according to Linnsean rules, and it certainly has great affinity
with feveral of that genus in other refpedfs. Lip green, palmate,
with three lobes, of which the middle one is larger, and
fometimes blunter, than the others.