2 1 0 ORCHIÜS OF THE SIKKIM-UI.VfALiTA.
Sikkim, at elevations of from 6,000 to 8,000 feet; in flower during Korembcr;
C. B. Clarke. PantUng, No. 20. Bhotan; Gainmie and Lister.
T h i s so closely resembles A. Cathcariii that the two are indistinguishable except
when in flower. The leaves of tliis are slightly firmer tliau those of A. Caiheartii.
T h e colour of the posterior sm-face of all the pieces of the perianth is -wliite; that
of the anterior is gamboge-yellow "with broad but uneqwal rich chestniit-browu bands,
t h e lip being horizontally striped with the same tint of brown. The column is wliite^
speckled in front and flushed bcliiud with pink; the anther is yellow, but its apex
i s tipped with pink.
PLATE 2-í%.—Arachnanthe Chrkei, Eolfe. Part, of a plant, of natural sisss. Fig. 1 Hp, 2 stalked
ovary, column wtU antker in situ, and lip, 3 seotioa of lip to stoTV tlie inhindiboliforui iollow in
its suLstanee, 4 column with anther and stignn, 5 pollinia -with eaudicle (c) and gland {¡7), G tlie same
from beliind, 7 empty anther—all enlarged, S fi'uit; of mtm-al sise.
3. AKACHSAKTnE BILISGUIS, Bcuth. in Benth. and Hook. fil. Gea.
P l a n t a r . Ill, 573.
Slcm stout, woody, cnvcloi>ed in the bases of fallen loares, probably pendulous.
Leaves coriaceous, keeled, close together, linear-oblong, l>hmt, unequally bilobed, not
nan-owed at the sheatMng l>ase, (S to 9 in. long and about -8 in. broa^d. Baceme as
l o n g as or longer than the leaves, sometimes brandling; the pcduncle and rachis
slender, the latter with distant short tubular shsaths. Flowers distant, -85 to 1-5 in.
a c r o s s ; floral hract broad, blunt, scarious, muuh shorter than the peduncled ovary.
Sepah sub-equal, oblong-oblanceolate, bluut. Petals slightly smaller, oblong, acutc. Lip
shorter than the petals, sagittate in general outline, shortly clawcd, the basal auricles
s h a l l o w ; the bhmt apex -with a large papilla just bsliind it on the londer surfacc, and
a blunt recm'vcd cylindric spur bstween the papilla and the base, the spur equal in
l e n g t h to the column; upper sui-face convex, with six narrow pink ridges. Column stout,
cui-ved. Anikr conical, its apex blunt; pollinia globose, attached to the apex of a
t r i a n g u l a r caudiclc, the gland very thick. Ilook. iil. Fl. Br. Ind. VI, 28. Kenanthera
hUiufjuis, Beiclib. fil., Xcnia Orchid. I, 7, t. 4. li. Mrosa, Rcichb. fil. 1. c. 88.
Arr//^Tic/iiu?n lah'oszim, Liudl. in Paxt. Fl. Gard. I, 42.
Bhotan near the Sikkim frontier in the Rumpti Valley at a low elevation; J. L.
L i s t e r , Pantling, No. 183; iu flower during August. Khasia Ilills; Assam, Simons.
T h e sepals and petals are pale yellow with dark browa markings; the lip, at first
white, afterwards bccomes yellow and has pink lines on its ridges and bright blotohes
of the same colour on its basal amides.
PLATE 280.—Arachnantho Li Unguis, Beutb. A plaTit, of n-ilwal size. Fig, 1 a flower, 2 bract,
stalked ovary, column with anther in situ, and lip with its spur, S section of lip, 4 pollinia; all
mlarijcd.
4 8 . brides. Lour.
E p i p h y t i c , with leafy stents. Leaves coriaceous, linear OT torete, Flowers usually
numerous and brightly coloured, in decurved racemes, sometimes solitary; the floral hraei
minute. Bepah and petals broad, spreading, the lateral sepals adnate to the base or
foot of the colunia. Lip adnate to the column, spurred; the side lobes large or small,
J3IÎIDES. 211
8 ome t ime s absent; the mid-lobo larger than tlio side lobes, or smaller and incurved.
Column short, its foot short or long; rostellura short or long and bifid. Anther 2-celIed,
w i t h or without a beak ; pollinia two, globose, sulcato; caudicle long or short ; gland
vaiious. Specics about 50; Eastern Asiatic.
Leaves terete
Leaves flat, keeled—
Apical lote of lip small, narrowly oblong: •
Apical lobe of lip large and hastate, aoute .
1. JE. lovgicornu.
JE. odornium.
2E. muitiflorum.
1. iERiDES LONGtcoKNU, Hook. ill. Ic. Plant. 2127.
Stem slender, elongate, pendulous. Leaves terete, 4'5 to 7 in. long and about •!
i n . thick. Peduncle extra-axillary, very slender, 1- to 2-flowered, 1'25 to 2 in. long.
Flowers 1'25 in. long. Sepah oblong; the dorsal erect, apiculate; the lateral pair
spreading, sub-falcate, flexuose. retah as largo as the dorsal sepal, oblong, tapering
somewhat towards the blunt apes, the edges much undulate. Lip adnate to the long
foot of the column, consisting chiefly of an elongated narrowly iufundibuliform spur
curving slightly forwai-ds, its mouth with two unequal hooked linear acute lateral lobes
o n each side; the apical lobe oblong, decm-ved, slightly dilated and cuneifoi-m at the
apex. Column short, the foot much longer. Anther shortly beaked; pollinia globose;
caudiclc filiform, dilated at tlie apex; the gland small, oblong. Capsule narrowly
cylindric, ridged, l'7o in. long. Hook. fil. Fl. Br. Ind. VI, 44. Ilcsoelastes uniflora,
Lindl. in Wall. Cat. 1993; Gen. and Spec. Orch 45. Lulsia tiiiflora, Blumc Rumph. IV,
5 0 ; Mus. Bot. Lugd. Bat. I, 64; Lindl. Fol. Orch, 3.
A t Dumsong, iu Bhotan, elevation 5,500 feet; Pantling No. 350; in flower dming
September. Nepal; WaUich. Upper Assam, in the Naga Hills, at an elevation of 5,500
f e e t ; Clarke.
T h e flowers are white with a flush of piuk on the spiu-; they are inodorous.
T h e species appears to be to a great extent self-fertile. Mr. Pantling, who kept
l i v i n g plants of it under observation, recorded the following note on this point:—
"The eontriiction after removid of the dilated portion of the caudicle immediately below tho pollen
masses, and the hackwaid movement of the masses to a right angle, suggest that these phenomena are
an'angements for seouiing self-fertilization. Moreover, the main poi-tion of the caudicle is BO very
slender and the pollinia and anther are so delicately attached to the colmnn that the whole becomes
easily iniluanoed either by the force of the wind, or by the jai- caused by the leaves striking against the
flowers. On dislocation taking place, the masses himg as by a thread in front of the stigmatic cavity,
and in that position very little is needed to bring them in contact with the viscid siuiace of the
stigma, and so to effect self-fortilization. Of seven floweis which opened neai' my house, all were thus
self-fertaized."
Specimens of this from the Khasia Hills, as figured by Sir J. "\V. Hooker in his
leones Plantanm, have the apical lobo of the lip more dilated and slightly bifid than
those from Sikldm as figui-ed here.
PI,ATE 2Sl.—JEridci b^if/'eornu, Hook. fil. A plant, of natural sise. Fig. 1 a flower, 2 section ofcolumn
and its foot and of the lip, 3 column and foot with anther in situ, front view, 4 apes of column
•with tlie pollinia in situ, the cap of tlie anther having been removed, 6 pollinia shortly after removal,
the bending of tlw caiidide having hecn completed, 6 empty anther seen from below; all enlarged.
ANN, PIOT. BOT. GARD., CALCUTTA, YOL. "MIL