124
ORCHIS MACULATA.
verification, who wrote in reply, "All the specimens you sent
two days ago were my Orchis ericetorum." The plants forwarded
were gathered at High Beach and over St. Thomas's Quarters.
Perhaps it may be useful to give the original description of
0. ericetorum, Linton, from The Flora of Bournemouth (1900),
pp. 208-9 :—
" More slender than the type; stem usually somewhat purplish above;
leaves narrower, more or less recurved, even the lower cauline more or less
acuminate, carinate and folded; spike 1 to 2 inches, broadly pyramidal, at
length oblong; bracts purplish; flowers pale, scentless, with rose-purple
markings, ground commonly white or tinged with pink, but sometimes of
deeper colour; outer line of markings nearly or quite complete; nectary
slender, slightly enlarged or not at all upwards, throat narrow; lower lip sub-
orbicular, rounded in outline, rather spreading; mid-lobe much smaller than
the broad obliquely truncate or orenate lateral lobes, not exceeding them in
length and usually shorter or somewhat recurved.
" Compared with this sub-species, or rather species, if a sufficient
number of these distinctions are found on further examination to hold good,
the type is rather a stouter and commonly bigger plant, with broader,
straighter leaves, less carinate and folded, frequently flat; spike 11/2 to 21/2 inches,
ovate-oblong in flowering, oblong at length bracts more usually (? always),
green ; flowers with dark rose-purple markings (the outer line pl. m. disjointed)
on a pale rose-purple ground ; faintly aromatic (? always); nectary stouter,
enlarged upwards, throat gaping obviously, lip deeply 3-cleft, vertically
pendent; lobes sub-equal, lateral obliquely oblong crenulate; mid-lobe
deltoid-oblong or deltoid-acuminate, distinctly exceeding and not much if at
all narrower than the lateral, usually straight.
" These two plants have a wide distribution in Britain: sub-species
ericetorum has been noted from Caithness and Sutherland to the South Coast
and Guernsey, and also from Co. Wicklow. A supposed hybrid between the
two occurred in Glen Lockay, Perthshire, but they seldom are found in the
same locality."
" Moist places and bogs on heaths" are the habitats given.
There can be no doubt that of the characters ascribed to
0. ericetorum, some are of questionable value. Thus, some of the
Epping Forest plants possess a pleasant odour ; the bracts and
stems are more frequently green than purplish, and though some
plants show the lip with the outer line of purple markings com-
plete, these are in the minority. The characters which to me
seem most helpful in determining O. ericetorum, are the narrow
leaves, small spike of pale flowers, mid-lobe of lip smaller than
the lateral, general slender habit and its heathland habitat.
Typical 0. maculata, whilst it may be present in the Forest,
I have not encountered, and, on the open heathy parts,
0. ericetorum seems to be the only form present.