EPIPACTIS (Epipaktis, a plant of Dioscorides; from epipegnuo, to coagulate; referring to its effect on milk). Helleborine. ORD. Orchideae. A genus of eight species of very pretty hardy Orchids, natives of Europe and Russian Asia, except the extreme north. Flowers purple, brown, or white, rarely tinged with red, in a loose raceme; perianth spreading; petals shorter than the sepals, but otherwise similar; lip free from the column, thick and concave at the base, the terminal portion broad and petal-like, with two protuberances at the base. Stem leafy. They are of easy culture in shady woods, in friable loam mixed with chalk, and form excellent subjects for naturalising in artificial bogs, or in moist peaty spots. Increased by divisions. The two following species represent the genus in Britain. EPIPACTIS latifolia (broad-leaved). fl. greenish purple, drooping; spike long, loose; lower bracts longer than the flowers. Late summer. l. orbicular, ovate or oblong, embracing the stem. Stem from 1ft. to 2ft. high. (Sy. En. B. 1480.) EPIPACTIS palustris (marsh). fl. whitish, tinged with crimson, slightly drooping, few, forming a loose ovate spike. July. l. lanceolate, embracing the stem. Stem about 1ft. high. (Sy. En. B. 1482.)