/ b i [ 271 J
S E R A P I A S grandiflora.
White Helleborine.
G T N J N D R IA Diandria.
G en. Char» NeSlary ovate,, gibbous, with an ovate
lip.
Spec. Char. Root creeping. Leaves elliptico-lan-
ceolate. Brakes longer than the germen. Flowers
ereft. Lip obtufe, rather Ihorter than the petals.
S yn. Serapias grandiflora. Light/. FI. Scot. 528. With.
Bot. Arr. iooo. Relb. Cant. 34T. Sibth. Oxen. 14.
S. longifolia. Hudf. FI. An. 393.
Helleborine flore albo. Rail Syn. 383»
C o m m u n i c a t e d by the Rev. Mr. Baker, F. L. s.
from Gloucefterlhire. It occurs in woods and thickets,
chiefly in the midland counties, very rarely in Scotland,
flowering in June.
Root long and creeping, perennial. Stem about a foot
high. Leaves ribbed, various in breadth, but generally rather
elliptical than lanceolate, their bafe half embracing the Hem.
Spike ereft, of from three to eight large white, nearly upright
flowers. Lower braftese like the leaves in form and fize ;
the others gradually lefs, but none Ihorter than the germen,
which is {lender, and deeply furrowed. Petals but little
expanded, and enclofing the lip of the nectary, which is heart-
Ihaped, obtufe, entire, with three elevated longitudinal yellow'
ribs on the upper fide.
Much confufion reigns among the Britifh fpecies of Serapias,
which has chiefly originated with Linnaeus, as is evident from
the different editions of his works; nor are thefe plants
fettled as it could be defired in the Supplcmentum, nor in
Murray’s editipns of Sy/i. Veg. The fpecies before us is by
the lad-mentioned author very unaptly named lancifolia, and
appears not to have been diftinguifhed by him from enfifolia.
Lightfoot, from his quotation of Flo. Dan. t. 506, feems to
have fallen into the fame error; as Hudfon has likewife. The
true en/folia (fee Withering) is Hudfon’s var. y, and has long
narrow leaves, very fmall bractese, and a lip much Ihorter
than the petals. We hope one day to obtain it from Welt-
moreknd or the north of Yorklhire.