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S E R A P I A S latifolia.
Broad-leaved Helleborine.
GYNAND R I A Diandria.
G en. Char. Neßary ovate, gibbous, with an ovate
lip.
Spec. Char. Roots creeping. Leaves ovate, embracing
the ftem. Flowers drooping. Lip entire,
pointed, Ihorter than the petals.
Syn. Serapias latifolia. Linn. Syft. Veg. Ed. 14. 814.
HudJ. FI. An. 393. With. Bot. Arr. 997. Lightf.
Scot. 526. Relb. Cant. 340. Sibth. Oxon. 13.
S. Helleborine «. Linn. Sp. PL 1344.
Helleborine latifolia montana. Raii Syn. 383.
N o t uncommon in fhady woods, efpecially in the mountainous
parts of this kingdom; we are obliged to the Countefs
of Aylsford for this fpecimen. It flowers in July or Auguft.
Root perennial, creeping horizontally, throwing out many
long fibres, flelhy, but by no means bulbous, thriving in the
moift black vegetable mould of damp woods. Stem fimple,
ereft, near two feet high, clothed with feveral alternate, ovate
or lanceolate leaves, the lower ones fheathing, the upper feflile,
all ftrongly nerved, thin, rather rigid, not flelhy. Spike erect,
many-flowered. BraCtese lanceolate, the lower ones longeft.
Flowers more or lefs drooping, on Ihort flower-ftalks, of a
brownilh green, and fometimes dark purple (which is Mr.
Hudfon’s 0); petals ovate, pointed, concave. NeCtary lhorter
than the petals, concave, with a projecting margin ; lip heart-
fhaped, entire, with a fmall recurved point, purplilh, but not
llreaked. The colour of the flowers is very variable^ they
have generally a faint, aromatic, orchis-like fmell. The ger-
men and ftem are more or lefs downy.