P L A T E CCCLXXVI.
N E O T T I A MINOR.
The Lessei' Neottia.
C L A S S XX. ORDER I.
GYNANDRIA DIANDRIA. Chives on the Pointal. Two Chives.
I JI
'P » I
'•1: il
ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.
! Í1
i i
r I
SpATHÄ vagae. Spadix simplex. Corolla pétala
5 aequalia erecta. Nectarium monophyllum
indivisum acuminatum.
SHEATHS scattered. Fruit-stalk simple. Corolla
5 petals of equal length erect. Nectary
one-leafed undivided sharp-pointed.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER, &C.
NEOTTIA, foliis ellipticis acuniinatis quintuplinerviis.
NEOTTIA, witli elliptic sharp-pointed leaves,
with five nerves meeting above the base.
N E O T T I A minor, foliis planis, spatiiis virescentibus. Jac. Ic. 3. 16. t. 601.—SATYKIUM elatum. Gmel.
Syst. Nat. 2. 56.—SEKAPIAS Neottia. Gmel. Syst. Nat. 2.5Q, manente Dryandro, in Limi. Tr. 2. 215.
D E S C R I P T I O . Folia ellipticaj acuminata, quintuplinervia, nervo medio subtus cseteris multo majore,
viridia, infra pallidiora. Caulis tereti-compressus, pubescens 1—S-pedalis, foliis alternis spathaceis,
remotis, instructus. Flores siccos exceptos non possideo. H.
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.
1. A blossom, seed-bud and sheath.
2. The same magnified without the sheath, the cover of the tips elevated.
3. A flower without die honey-cup.
4. The chives and pointal as they appear detached.
5. The pointal magnified.
WHAT the Neottia minor wants in splendour and beauty, is counterbalanced by the interesting
structure of its flowers j which however is not peculiar to it; but frequent in the fine order to which
it belongs : the Orchideae.
Until Jacquin established it as a distinct genus, it was considered as a species of, and retained a
place in the genus Serapias, as well as the more showy N. speciosa of our third plate.
The Lesser Neottia is a native of the West Indies; is a very tender hot-house plant, but grows
freely in rich earth; eitlier in or out of the tan-bed; rises to the height of about three feet, and
flowers in the month of March : is propagated by parting its roots; and although at present rare,
was introduced to us before N. speciosa, in the year I79O, by Mr. John Fairbairn, gardener to the
Worshipful Company of Apothecaries at Chelsea. Our drawing was taken at Lady De ClifFord's collection
at Paddington.
I 1
:;•! e
í: ' ti
í' 11 - i
i;!' ^''¡i
È