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Habenaria (From habena a thong or strap)

(from habena, a thong or strap; spur long, strap-shaped). SYN. Sieberia. ORD. Orchideae. A genus of about 400 species of terrestrial stove, greenhouse, or hardy plants with the habit of Orchis, many of which are highly ornamental, and well worthy of a place in any garden. They are found in almost all temperate and warm regions. Among the numerous genera which are now included under Habenaria are: Coeloglossum, Gymnadenia, Phyllostachya, and Platanthera. The species described below are hardy, except where stated otherwise, and form very pretty plants for boggy places, or other situations, in moist, peaty soil. For culture of stove species--of which few are now grown--see Bletia.

H. bifolia (two-leaved). Butterfly Orchis. fl. white, numerous; lip lanceolate, entire, about half the length of the very long, filiform spur. June. Stem angular, 1ft. high. Britain. According to Bentham, this species varies much in the breadth of the leaves as well as of the parts of the flower, and the extreme forms have been distinguished as species, the name of H. chlorantha being given to those in which the flowers are large, and the anther cells much more broadly diverging at the base. Darwin, however, regarded H. chlorantha and H. bifolia as distinct species, and states that they require different species of moths to fertilise them. H. blephariglottis (fringed-tongued).* fl. white, beautifully fringed, in spikes. May and June. North America, 1820. (L. B. C. 925.) H. candida (white). fl. white; spike few-flowered; sepals ovate-acute, nearly equal, dorsal one horizontal; petals undivided, galeate, obtuse; lip entire, ensiform; spur pendulous, twice as long as ovary, two-lobed at apex. August. h. 1ft. Sierra Leone, 1844. Stove.

H. ciliaris (ciliated). fl. orange-yellow, arranged in dense clusters; lip beautifully fringed. Stems or spikes very showy, 1 1/2ft. to 2ft. high. North America, 1796. An elegant, but rare, species. (B. M. 1668.) H. cristata (crested).* fl. golden-yellow, crowded, individually much smaller than those of H. ciliaris; lip deeply fringed. Late spring. Stem 1ft. high. North America, 1806. (L. B. C. 1661.) H. dilatata (widened). fl. white, densely arranged on slender spikes. Summer. Stem 1ft. to 2ft. high. North America, 1823. Very showy and rare. H. fimbriata (fimbriated).* fl. lilac-purple, large, and prettily fringed, arranged on a long spike. Summer. Stem 1ft. to 1 1/2ft. high. North America, 1789. (B. R. 405.) H. gigantea (gigantic). fl. greenish-white, large, about 4in. across, very fragrant; racemes four to six-flowered. July. Stem about 4ft. high. India, 1834. Stove. (B. M. 3374.) H. Helleborina (Helleborine).* fl. green, flesh-colour, sessile, distant, horizontal; lip much larger than the sepals or petals; limb semicircular; column short, broad, concealed under the dorsal sepals and petals. September. l. oblong-lanceolate, sub-acute, not plaited, five-nerved, deep green. Sierra Leone, 1870. Stove. SYN. Eulophia Helleborina. (B. M. 5875.) H. Hookerii (Hooker's). fl. greenish-white. Spikes slender, twenty to thirty-flowered, 6in. to 12in. high. June. North America, 1822. H. orbiculata (spherical). fl. greenish-white, in loose spikes. l. very large, silvery-white beneath, prostrate upon the ground. h. 1ft. to 2ft. North America. A distinct and very large species. (L. B. C. 1623.) H. psycodes (fragrant).* fl. varying from rose to crimson, very fragrant, fringed; spikes 4in. to 10in. long. June. North America, 1826. A very showy species, allied to H. fimbriata, but with smaller flowers. H. rhodochila (red-lipped).* fl., scape 9in. long; raceme about twelve-flowered; sepals green, united into a hood-like process; lip large, bright cinnabar-red. August. North China, 1884. Greenhouse. H. rotundifolia (round-leaved.) fl. rosy-purple; lip white, spotted with purple; spikes large and compact. Summer. h. 1 1/2ft. to 3ft. North America. H. salaccensis (Salakian). fl., raceme ovate, 5in. to 6in. long; pedicels short, clothed with two or three narrow-lanceolate bracts; sepals spreading, green; petals reddish, very narrow; lip elongated, tripartite; spur reflexed, narrow, tipped with orange; column short. April. l., lower ones 4in. to 5in. long, lanceolate, acuminate, striated; superior ones becoming gradually smaller, bractiform. Stem 12in. to 14in. high, partially clothed at the base with two or three sheathing scales, leafy upwards. Root a tuber, and three or four thick fleshy fibres. Mount Salak, Java. Stove. (B. M. 5196.)