OKCHIDS OF THE SIEEILI-HIMILARA.
6 6 . Listera, R. Brown.
Terrestrial, erect, slender, 2-lcaved herbs (leafless in one species), with fibrous roots.
Leaves opposite or sub-opposite, rarely alternate, membranous, sessile or sub-sessile. Floivers
small, racomosc. Sepals and petals sub-cciual, free, spreading or reflcxed. Lip aduate to
tlie base of tlie column, pendulous, longer than the sepals, narrow, the apex usually bifid,
sometimes 3-fid or entire. Column stout, cylintlric, usually curved forwards. Anther
depressed, its lip obtuse; pollinia two or four cohering in paii-s, rostcUum short. Species
about 10, natives of N. temperate regions and of liigh altitudes in the Himalaya.
Tlio genus mottia was fouuded by Linuasus in 1735 to iucluds only .V. Corallorrhiza. In his
Spc.'m Phmtarmn, published iu 1753, however, Liunieus omitted Ncotiia altogether; and Ms old
Nootlia Cwallorrhisa appeared there in the geuus Ojihnis, into which also lie put 0. nidus-avis, 0. ovatu,
and 0. coi-data, togstlier with several others. Corallonhizi (a name fii-st used hy lldlor in
1743) was, within tho chronological limits of binominal nomenclatui-e, taien as a geuei'ic name by B.
Brown, wlio iu 1813, on page 209 of Aitou's Sortus Kowcnsis (Ed. II, Vol. 5), brought under
it the Ophrns Coralloirhisa ot Liuurous's binominal period. It is thus jimior as a genus to the same
author's Lisia-a, which he first described ou page 201 of the work just (luoted. Two species which.
ioiTuel part ot Linnious's genus Ophvys of 1753 (viz., 0. ovata and 0. corduUi) were put by Brown
into the uow genus Listcm which, as has just been stated, he founded for their reception. Li^tcva
is, nccoi-ding to Kuntz3, identical with Biph-ijllum of EaQuesque (published in 1808). In 1818,
liiojai-d (Mem. Museum Paris, 1818, Yol. p. 58) resuscitated the geneiio name Noottia, and
under it he put nidus-avis, JST. convallarioidcs, and also iV. luti/olia {^Listem ovaia, Br.) and
iV. cordata {=Liiiera cordata, Br), The Xeottia of Linuieus, dating as it does from 1735, and
prior to its author's iQauguration of the buiomiiial nomsndatuve, aud being moreover omitted in his
Sj)c:ios Phaiarum of 1753, falls entii'ely to the gi-ouud as a Lumtoan geniis. The reconstituted
Ncotiia of Richard, dating only from 1818, is five years junior to the Listera of li. Bro^vIl (1813),
and must give precedence to tho latter. Amongst the plants attributed to tho lieodia of Eiehard
is X. lis'.ci-oidcs, published by Lindley in B.oyle's Illustrations of Himalayan Botauy in lS3i>,
p. 368. The same plant was also flgared by Decaisne in Jacq.u9mout's Voyage (1S40), p. 163,
t. 163, as Heoilia Lindlci/am, Decne. In his Gronei-a aud Species of Orchids (p. 457) Lindley remailcs
that "with regai'd to the genera Ncottia, Rich., and Liatcra, Bi-own, there is nothing that can be
pomted out as a satisfactory distinctive mark, except their habit." In the opinion thus expressed
we entirely agree, and we would suppress the Nooftia of Richard. Bat accordmg to the custom
which makes priority the supreme consideration ia changes of names, mottia listeroidcs should, if
transferred to Listera, become Listera Kateroidce. To avoid this absurdity we have therefore token
for the species Decaisues mora recent spscifie name {Lindleuana). The decision to use the name
Lisiora for the conjoined genus may saem to soiaa unsatisfactory, but no other course appears to t«
to be possible; for if, with Euutze, one takes the Liimasau generic names prior to the establishment
of the binominal nomenclature, then the name KcotUa is applicable only to Corallorhiza. But
if one begms with the publication of L'nnceu-.'s Species PIantaru)u in 1753, the name Noottia is of
later date (1818) than the name Lisiora (1813) or than DiphryUum (1808)—the latter t
obscure and nnfamih'nr one which we decide to have nothing to do with.
Leafy—
The edges of the lip entire except at the apes.
Apex of lip 3-fid
Apes of Hp 2-fid.
Lip brown, tho rest of the flower green,
Column short, straight
Column long, much ciuved . . . . . .
"Whole flower green.
Flowers -6 in. long
1. L. micrantha.
2. L. to»..
3. L. pineiorum.
h- L. lo:uJcau.Us.
Flowers '25 in, long.
Leaves close to the root, opposite . . . . . 5. L. brevicaulii.
Leaves close to the raceme, sub-opposite o:
alteniate . 6. L. altornifolia.
The whole margin of tho lip dentotc-pcctinate . 7. L. dcntata.
L. Lindley ana.
1. LISTEEA MICKANTH.4, Liadl. in Jouru. Linn. Soc. I, 17G.
Whole plant 3 to 5 ' i n . high, slender, ci-ect, the stem below the leaves an inch
or more long, glabrous and bearing a single oblong blunt short sheath. Loaves
oj^posite, orbicular-ovate or cuneate-ovate, bluut or sub-acute, sessile, "3 to '5 in. long
and nearly as broad. Pedimcle twice as long as the stem, minutely piiberulous; tlio
raceme about half as long as the peduncle, spai'sely 4- to 6-flowcred, Floivers '2 in.
long; hract ovate, acutc, concave, half as long as tho pedicel of the ovary. Sepal a
and petals sub-equal, elliptic, sub-acute, spreading. Lip as long as the sepals, quadrate,
deoiirvcd tho somewhat amiculato base; the apex with three acute unequal lobules,
tho middle much longer tlian the lateral, upper siurface smooth. Column very short,
straight. Anth".r depressed, its anteiior edge tnincate, rostelhun very short. Capsule
ovoid-globose. Hook, fil, FI. 13r. lud. VI, 104; Ic. Plantar, t. 2171.
Sikkim, Laclicn and Lachoong Valleys, at elevations of 10,000 to 11,000 feet;
in flower dming July; Hooker, Pantling No. 377.
The flowers are of rather a pale green, the column alone being whitish.
PLATE 336.—¿(«/CRIT micraiitha, Lnidl. 'A plant, of natural sise. Pig. 1 fi'ont view of a flower,
2 floral bract, ovary, column with anther {« iitu, and liir, 3 lip, i colunm with anther in aitii, front
cicic, 6 anther, 6 j)ollinia; all enlarged.
2. LISTEEA TKNDIS, Lindl. in Jom-u. Linn. Soc. I, 176.
Whole plant 4 to C in. high, the stem bearing a wide loose sheath about half
way between the root and the leaves. Leaves elliptic-ovate, acute, inserted nearer the
raceme than tho root, sessile, -5 to '75 in. long. Raaema glandular-puberulous, 4- to
8-flowered, about as long as the peduncle. Floioers •2o in. long; floral bract membranous,
naiTowly ovate, sub-acute, shorter than the stalked ovary. SejjaU and petals sub-equal,
oblong, sub-acute, connivent, tlie lateral sepals sometimes acute. Lip longer than tho
sepals and petals, cuncately obcordate, the lobules of the apex rounded, the sinus somewhat
bluut, the \q)per sm-face flat with a central dark line, the base with a small pit.
Column slightly cui-vud, short, rostellum obtuse. Anther papillose, its anterior edge obtuse.
Hook, fil. Fl, Bv. Ind, VI, 104; Ic. Plantar, t. 2109.
Sikkim, in the Lachen Valley. Ehotan, in the Chmnbi Valley; at elevations of
11,000 to 12,000 feet; in flower dimug July; Hooker, PantKng No. 378.
Tho sepals and petals are of a pale olivaceous green, the lip being pale brown with
a dark midrib and faint obHquc lines proceeding from it to the edges.
riAi'B Listera Imais, Lmdl. A plant, of natural' size. Fig. 1 bract, ovary aud flower, side
vieic, 2 lip, upper sui-foce, 3 apes of ovary, column with anther i/i silu, the poUmia havmg been
remoTod, 4 anther, 5 pollinia; all enlarffcd.