P late XVII.
SACCOLABIUM AMPULLACEUM.
S. ampullaceum; caule brevissinao, foliis crassissimis distichis ligulatis canaliculatis
apice truncatis dentatis, racemis oblongis erectis foliis multd brevioribus, sepalis
petalisque ovatis patentibus subaequalibusj labello angusto acuminato concavo
calcare compresso pendulo dupld breviore.
8. ampullaceum, Lindl. in Wall. Cat. no. 7307.
Aerides ampullaceum, Roceb. FI. Ind. 3. 476.
A native of trees in the forests of Sylhet, where it was long since discovered by Dr. Roxburgh’s
correspondents. It was subsequently met with by Dr. Wallich, near Bemphedy, flowering in the
month of M ay.
It is described as having a short and generally simple stem, which, from the lower part throws
out strong fleshy cord-like roots, by which the plant is bound to the tree it grows upon. The
leaves are distichous, regularly spreading, remarkably thick, spotted with purple on both sides,
ligulate, about five inches long, with the edges nearly parallel, carinate beneath, channelled
above, truncated and toothed at the apex. The flowers are of a deep rose colour, and grow in
erect, oblong, sessile, axillary racemes, which are very much shorter than the leaves. The
flower-stalks and ovary together are about an inch long. The sepals and petals spread flat,
and are ovate, beautifully veined, and nearly equal. The lip is linear, falcate, twice as short as the
sepals, channelled, acute, rather curved upwards at the point, with a compressed, straight, slender
spur, about' as long as the flower-stalk ; at the base of the lip are two teeth pressed close to the base
of the column, and parallel with it. Column short, with a small hollowed stigma in front.
Anther purplish, 2-celled, ovate, obtuse, with a tooth transversely curved downwards beneath the
pollen-masses on each side. P ollen-masses two, globose, furrowed, with a long slender
caudicula.
The foregoing description is entirely taken from Dr. Wallich’s MSS. no specimen of the plant
having reached me. The figure is a copy from a drawing belonging to the Honourable Court of
Directors of the East India Company. I formerly supposed it to be the same as Saccplabium
rubrum, to which I have elsewhere quoted it as a probable synonyme. I am however now satisfied
that it is a perfectly distinct species, distinguished by its short erect racemes, by the form of the
lip, and by the leaves being regularly distichous, not all curved to one side.