beautifulflowers032840mbp

158 BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS OF KASHMIR [Plate 86
EPIPACTIS, Adans.
The Helleborine.
(The classical Greek name of a plant related to this genus.)
I. Flowers crowded E. latifolia.
Flowers distant.
II.
1. Basal portion of lip narrow, caiioeshaped
... ... ... ... E. consimilis.
2. Basal portion of lip relatively large,
the sides broad, rounded ... ... E. gigantea.
Fig. 6. Epipactis latifolia, All. Broad-leafed Epipactis
or Hellcborine.
A terrestrial herb, up to 3 ft. high, slender, hairless below,
the upper portion including the inflorescence slightly hairy.
Lower leaves round, 2J-6 by 2-3 in., smaller upwards, round
to egg-lance-shaped or egg-shaped-elliptic, sharp-pointed, manynerved,
hairless. Raceme i-1 ft. long, many-flowered, usually
dense. Flowers about 2-5 in. diameter, dingy purple or green.
Bracts linear-lance-shaped, long-pointed, the lowermost large
and leaf-like. Sepals lance-shaped, long-pointed. Petals like
the sepals but smaller. Lip J in. long, basal part bowl-shaped,
margins rounded, terminal part shorter, flat, broadly triangular,
bearing 2 protuberances at its base, margins crumpled, obscurely
toothed.
Flowers. May to August.
Locality. Sind Valley.
Distribution. Throughout the W. Himalaya between 5,000
and 11,000 ft., Nepal, Sikkim, N. Asia, Japan, Hongkong,
Europe, N. Africa.
Epipactis consimilis,
Wall
Flowering stem 1-2 ft. high. Stem slender, hairless.
Leaves 6 by ij in., lance-shaped, long-pointed, the uppermost
much shorter and narrower ;
nerves prominent and nearly
straight. Eaceme $ ft. long, laxly flowered, axis hairy.
Flowers about 1 in. diameter, distant, orange-green, sometimes
spotted, lip paler.
Sepals spreading and hairy outside, unequal,
concave, the dorsal one lanceolate, lateral pair much wider.
Petals egg-shaped, hairy outside on the thickened midrib.
Lip a little shorter than the sepals, basal part narrow, canoeshaped,
terminal part 3-lobed, the side-lobes turned up, the
tip lance-shaped, spreading.