SPECIFIC CHARACTER, &C.
Neottia, foliis ellipticis acuminatis quintuplinerviis.
Neottia, with elliptic sharp-pointed leaves, with five nerves meeting above the base.
Neottia minor, foliis planis, spathis virescentibus. Jac. Ic. 3. 16. t. 601.—Satyrium elatum. Gmel. Syst. Nat. 2. 56.—Serapias Neottia. Gmel. Syst. Nat. 2. 59. monente Dryandro, in Linn. Tr. 2. 215.
Descriptio. Folia elliptica, acuminata, quintuplinervia, nervo medio subtus cæteris multo majore, viridia, infra pallidiora. Caulis tereti-compressus, pubescens 1-3-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 the 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; which however is not peculiar to it; but frequent in the fine order to which it belongs: the Orchideæ.
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; either 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 1790, 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.[Pg 33]