The generic name, _Orchis_, refers to ὄρχις, the son of a rural deity of classical mythology, in whose memory these flowers were designated. Plants with biennial roots. =Anther= 1. =Labellum= connate with base of the column; produced below into a spur. =Sepals= separate, free to the base, similar in texture to the petals. =Flowers= small, delicate white and rose-purple, fragrant; in a short terminal spike. =Anther-sacs= divergent; pollinia granulose, 1 in each anther-sac, which is attached at the base to a viscid disk or gland. =Glands= _enclosed_ in a pouch. =Stem=, scape-like, 5-angled, 4-12 inches high. =Leaves= 2, oblong-obovate, shining, basal, with several bracts above. =Roots= fleshy-fibrous or tuberous. _Continental Range_—There are three reported species of this genus for the Continent. _Orchis_, as a genus, contains 80 or more species ranging throughout the temperate regions of Europe, Asia, Northern Africa, Canaries, and North America. North American species 3 New England species 2 Hoosac Valley species 1 New England species: 1. _O. spectabilis_ Linnæus, 1753. 2. _O. rotundifolia_ (Pursh) Lindley, 1814-1835. 1.—ORCHIS SPECTABILIS Linnæus, 1753 SHOWY ORCHIS The specific name, _spectabilis_, refers to the beautiful spectacle of a group of these plants in bloom. Small, damp woodland orchid with fleshy-fibrous roots. April 19th-June 19th. =Flowers= fragrant, about 1 inch long, violet-purple mixed with rose-purple and white; 3-6 flowered in a bracted raceme. =Labellum= divergent, attached to a spur, purple and white. =Sepals= and =petals= arching in a galea. =Glands= _enclosed_ in a pouch or hooded fold. Stem, scape-like, 4-12 inches high, thick, 5-angled. =Leaves= 2, basal with 1-2 scales below, and foliaceous bracts above sheathing the seed-capsules. _Continental Range_—From New Brunswick, Ontario, southward to Georgia and Alabama; westward to the Rocky Mountains. Ascends 4000 feet altitude in Virginia. _New England Range_—Maine, rare; New Hampshire, frequent; Vermont, frequent; Massachusetts, frequent; Rhode Island, rare; Connecticut, common. [Illustration: =The Showy Orchis.= (_Orchis spectabilis._) The first orchis of the season, showing the hooded fold above the orifice of the spur and the processes of the flowers on the bracted scape.] 2.—ORCHIS ROTUNDIFOLIA (Pursh) Lindley, 1814-1835[68] SMALL ROUND-LEAVED ORCHIS The specific name, _rotundifolia_, refers to the round leaf of this species. Small woodland or sphagnous bogland orchid with fleshy-fibrous roots. June 10th-July.