WILD ORCHIDS OF BRITAIN: WITH A KEY TO THE SPECIES. By V.S. Summerhayes. New Naturalist No. 19.

(1951) 1968 2nd edition. 8vo (152 x 222mm). Ppxviii,366. Colour and b/w photograph plates, b/w line illustrations, maps, bibliography. Green buckram, spine titled in gilt.

"Mr Summerhayes is in charge of the orchid collection at the Kew Herbarium. Besides covering covering the general biology and natural history of orchids in Britain, he gives a detailed account of all our species, varieties and hybrids, including maps of distribution and a key to identification". Excellent and authoritative account, undulled by the passing of years. Chapters include; the life history of the orchid plant; the orchid flower; pollination and fertilisation; distribution, geographical and ecological; classification; the lady's slipper; the helleborines; twayblades; the ladies' tresses; saprophytic orchids; the Habenaria group; orchis relatives; orchis proper; the spotted orchids; the marsh orchids; the bee orchid and its allies; bog orchids; what of the future? An appendix gives a key for the determination of species.