Orchis
(the ancient name, from orchis, testiculus; referring to the two oblong tuberous roots of some of the species). Including Anacamptis, Barlia, and Himantoglossum. ORD. Orchideoe. A large genus (nearly eighty species) of hardy terrestrial orchids, natives of Europe, temperate Asia, and North Africa, with two North American, and two in the Mascarene Islands. Many of them are interesting and curious rather than showy. Flowers in dense or loose, sessile spikes, or in very short, pedicellate racemes; sepals and petals nearly equal; lip three (rarely four or five) lobed, larger than the petals, hanging down anteriorly between the lower segments of the calyx, and extended in the form of a spur; anther confluent with the column, cells two, diverging at the base; pollenglands in a common pouch. Stem erect, herbaceous, leafy at the base. The few species worth cultivating thrive best in a deep rich soil; those which naturally prefer chalky soils should be planted in one of similar nature. They are very impatient of disturbance at the roots. Propagated by division. Transplanting should only be performed during the autumn months, when the growth of the young roots will have fully matured.
O. foliosa (leafy).* fl. purple, numerously disposed in an ovate or oblong-ovate spike, about 9in. long and 3in. broad; sepals erect, ovate, blunt; petals similar in form, but narrower and smaller; lip pendent, very broad, three-lobed, much longer than the spur. May. l. unspotted oblong, lower ones blunt. h. 1 1/2ft. to 2 1/2ft. Madeira. A very desirable plant, varying a little in size of inflorescence and colour of flowers. (B. M. 5074; B. R. 1701.) O. fusca (brownish). A synonym of O. purpurea.
O. hircina (goat-scented). Lizard Orchis. fl. dirty greenish-white, with a disagreeable smell, large, remarkable for their long, linear lip; sepals converging over the column; petals small; spike dense, 4in. to 8in. long. Summer. h. 1ft. to 2ft. Europe (Britain, East Suffolk and Kent; almost extinct), North Africa. (Sy. En. B. 1448.)
O. h. romana (Roman). In this variety, the lip is rosy-purple. Rome, 1871.
O. lactea (milky). fl. purple; sepals very acuminate; lip threeparted, very glabrous, equalling the incurved spur. May. l. oval, acute, cuspidate. Barbary, 1815. (B. M. 1932.)
O. latifolia (broad-leaved).* Marsh Orchis. fl. purple or red; lip convex, crenate, slightly three-cleft; spur conical; spike dense, many-flowered. June. l. lanceolate, broadest near the middle, usually spotted with purplish-black. Stem about 1ft. high. Europe (Britain), Asia. (F. D. ii. 266; Sy. En. B. 1458.)
O. l. lagotis (hare's-eared). A variety having purple flowers, with darker bands on the lip. Alps of Piedmont, 1869.
O. laxiflora (loose-flowered). fl. bright crimson-purple, in a very loose spike, 3in. to 10in. long. Summer. l. lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 3in. to 6in. long, not in a rosette. h. 1ft. to 3ft. Europe (Guernsey and Jersey, in wet meadows), 1820. (Sy. En. B. 1456.)
O. longibracteata (long-bracted). fl. purple; sepals very obtuse; lip fleshy, crisped at base, four times as long as the thick, conical spur; laciniae obtuse, crenate; bracts exceeding the flowers; spike long, many-flowered. May. l. oblong, narrowed at base. Sicily, 1818. (B. R. 357.) O. longicornu (long-horned). fl. purple, disposed in dense spikes, 6in. to 8in. long; lip striped with lilac. May. h. 12in. to 20in. North Africa, 1815. A very handsome species. (B. M. 1944; B. R. 202; S. B. F. G. 249.)
O. longicruris (long-shanked). fl. pale purple, in a thick, subcorymbose spike; sepals acuminate; lip thrice as long as the incurved spur; laciniae all linear, acuminate. May. l. oblonglanceolate, undulated, obtuse. Europe. (S. F. G. 927; B. R. 375, under name of O. tephrosanthos undulatifolia.)
O. maculata (spotted).* fl. pale purplish or whitish, variously spotted with purplish-brown, and disposed in an ovate spike; lip flat, crenate, three-lobed; spur cylindrical, shorter than the germen. June. l. lanceolate, spotted with purplish-brown. Stem 1ft. high, slender. Europe (Britain), Asia. (F. D. vi. 933; Sy. En. B. 1459.)
O. mascula (male). fl. rich purple, disposed in a rather loose spike; the two lateral sepals reflexed upwards; lip four-lobed, crenate, having the disk white and spotted. Spring. l. chiefly radical, elliptical or lanceolate, usually spotted with black. Europe (Britain), North Africa, and West Siberia. (F. D. iii. 457; Sy. En. B. 1455.)
O. militaris. Military Orchis. fl. numerous, in a dense, oblong spike; sepals usually purple, converging over the petals and column in the shape of a helmet; lip longer, paler, more or less spotted with purple, four-lobed; spur not half the length of the ovary. Spring. l., lower ones broadly oval to oblong. Tubers entire. h. 1ft. to 2ft. Southern England. (F. D. viii. 1277; S. B. F. G. 163; Sy. En. B. 1452.)
O. Morio (buffoon). fl. six to eight, in a loose spike; sepals purplish, arching over the smaller petals and column in the form of a helmet; lip pinkish-purple, pale purple in the middle, with darker spots; spur obtuse, nearly as long as the ovary. Early summer. l. few, almost radical, and two or three sheathing scales higher up the stem. h. 6in. to 8in. Europe (Britain), West Asia. (F. D. ii. 253; Sy. En. B. 1454.) O. pallens (pale). fl. pale yellow; sepals ovate, obtuse; lip round, with three entire lobes; spur twice as long as the lip; spike dense, oblong. May. l. obovate-oblong, very obtuse. h. 9in. Europe, 1825 (B. M. 2569, under name of O. sulphurea; J. F. A. 45.)
O. papilionacea (butterfly). fl. purple; sepals oblong, acute; lip crenulate, unguiculate, equalling the conical, incurved, pendulous spur. April. l. linear-lanceolate, acute, closely sheathed. h. 1 1/2ft. Rome, 1788. SYN. O. rubra. (B. R. 1155, and S. F. G. 928.)
O. pauciflora (few-flowered). fl. yellow, spicate; lip darker, and sometimes spotted. l. linear-lanceolate. Italy, &c., 1844. (R. G. 1149, Fig. 2.)
O. purpurea (purple).* fl. 3/4in. across; sepals and petals green and purple outside, paler inside, spotted; lip pale rose, spotted with purple; spikes usually large, many-flowered. May. l. oblong-obtuse, 3in. to 5in. long. Britain. SYN. O. fusca.
O. pyramidalis (pyramidal). fl. rich rose or purplish-red, remarkable for their slender spur, longer than the ovary; sepals lanceolate, spreading; petals converging over the column; lip broad, three-lobed; spike dense, 2in. to 4in. long. Summer. l. lanceolate, usually narrow, and pointed. Stem 1ft. or more high. Tubers pointed. Europe (Britain), North Africa. SYN. Anacamptis pyramidalis. (F. D. xii. 2113; J. F. A. 266; Sy. En. B. 1449.)
O. rubra (red). A synonym of O. papilionacea.
O. sambucina (Elder-scented). fl. yellow or purple, in a dense oblong spike; sepals slightly obtuse; lip obsoletely trilobed; spur pendulous, inflated, twice as long as the lip. April. l. ovate-oblong, very obtuse. h. 9in. Europe, 1825. (J. F. A. 108; S. B. F. G. 199, under name of O. Schleicheri.)
O. Schleicheri (Schleicher's). A synonym of O. sambucina. O. spectabilis (showy). fl. few, on a four-angled scape; sepals and petals all lightly united to form the vaulted galea, or upper lip, pink-purple; the ovate, undivided lip white. May. l. two, oblong-obovate, shining. h. 4in. to 7in. United States, 1801. (L. B. C. 78.)
O. sulphurea (sulphur). A synonym of O. pallens.
O. tephrosanthos (ash-colour-flowered). fl. purple, variegated, in a thick, cylindrical spike; sepals acuminate; lip twice as long as the incurved spur; laciniae linear. April. l. oblong-lanceolate, slightly acute. (B. M. 3426.)
O. tridentata (three-toothed). fl. pale purple, in a corymbose spike; sepals very acuminate; lip equal to the spur; laciniae denticulate. May. l. oblong-lanceolate, acute. h. 9in. South Europe, 1818. (B. R. 367.)
O. ustulata (scorched). fl. in a dense spike, the deep purple of the unexpanded ones imparting a burnt, or scorched, appearance; sepals deep purple, pointed, converging over the column and the small, narrow petals; lip white, purple-spotted, four-lobed; spur very short; spike 1in. to 2in. long. Spring or early summer. l. few, oblong or lanceolate. Tubers entire. h. 6in. to 8in. Europe (Britain), West Siberia. (Sy. En. B. 1450.)