260 ORCHIDS OF THE SIKELM.niXALATA.
bracts -5 in. loug. FhtvevB tbree or four near the apex of tbo stero, -5 or -6 ia. loog,
brownish, nodding. Sepallno title cyliudiic, glabrous, the mouth .3-iobed. Petals miauto,
sub-rotuud, entire, inserted on tho sepaline tubo near the bases of two of its sinuses. Lip
as long as the eohimn but shorter than the sepaline tube, OTatc-lanceolate, clawed, flat,
with undulatc-creuato edges and with four parallel thickened lines from the base to nearly
the tip; claw short, and bcaiiag two sub-globular calli. Column with winged sides, the
apex truncate and 4-toothed; pollinia naiTowly and obliquely oroid.
Sikkim, at elevations of about 7,000 feet; flowering iu August; Pantling No. 293.
The whole plant is of a pale dull brown colour, except the column and lip which
are yellowish-white. The species is allied to G. exilis, Hook, fil., biit that species has
smaller flowers with flmbiiate (or glandular) lateral petals and a lip with two long wing-liko
central lamollje. It is less closely allied to G. orohancJwidcs, Benth, which has erect
flowers and a yentricosc sepaline tube. It agi-ees witli G. data, Blume, in liaving two
callosities ou the claw of the lip. We have dedicated the species to Mr. AV. T. Thiselton
Dyer, F.R.S., C.M.G., C.I.E., Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew.
PLATE Zib.—Gastyodia Bijoriana, King and Pantlmg. Two plants, of natural size. Fig. 2 a fiower,
1 Bootion of the same, showing tlie minute i)etiils witiia tlio sinus of tka sspaline tube, 3 tte lip
showing tiie cnlloslties ou its claw, 4 apes of ovary, column and lip, side tisie, ú column -wifh tte
antlier in silii, 6 mitíicr, 7 pollinia; all enlargei/.
6 9 . Didymoplexis, Griff.
Terrestrial aphyllous herbs with tuber-like roots. Scape simple, bearing a scanty
raceme of small flowers, the pedicels elongating in fruit. Sepals and peiak cohering by
their margins into a short tube, theii- apices alone free, the dorsal sepal and jretals forminy'
the upper 3-lobed lip, the lateral sepals forming the lower entire oi- bifid lip. Zip
shorter than the perianth-tube, inserted on the very short foot of the columu, rather broad,
its disc studded with numerous minute calii. Column long, neaa'ly straight, narrowly
winged in the upper part and 3-toothed at the apex. Stigvta broad. Antlier 2-celled,
depressed; pollinia 4, unequal, iu paia-s. Capsules elliptic, tumid, ridged, their pedicels
accrescent and often reaching a length of sis inches. Two species, one Indo-Malayan,
the other Australasian.
DIDTHOPLEXIS PALLEKS, GrifE. in Calc. Joum. Isat. Hist. IV, 383, t. 17.
Root long, branching, mouiliformly tuberous. Stem erect, 3 to 6 iu. long, with
one or two bhant sheaths about -2 in. long. Eaeem 4- to 8-flowcred. Flowers about
•35 in. long; Jloral Iraci triaugnlai-, much shorter thau the gi-adually lengthening
pedicel of the ovai-y; pedicel and ovary at first about -2 or '25 in. long, the fonner
lengthening with the ripening of the fruit to as much as C inches. Dorsal sepal ovate,
obtuse, concave; the lateral pair united to the middle, their free portions obtuse.
Lip with a short cmwed claw, cuneately oblong, the apex truncate and minutely
erose; the disc bearing an oblong thickening, studded, especially towards tho base
and apex, with minute granulations. Colu7nn nearly straight, winged in its upper
third, the apex with three teeth; produced below into a very short foot, forming
with the lateral sepals a short meutum. Folien grains closely adlierent to each other.
Capsule -75 to 1 in. long, tumid. Km-z in Seem. Joum. Eot, 1866, 40 {exel. syn.
APHYLLOECHIS. 261
Epiphàncs and Caifrodia)-, Eemsl. in Joum. Linn. Soc. XX, 311, t. 28; Hook. fil. Fl.
Br. India, VI, 121. Leucorchis sylvatica, Blume Mus. Bot. Lugd. Bat. I, 31; Floras
Javre, Och. 133 (with wood-cut). ' Ape talon minutum, "Wight le. t. 1758; Blume 1. c.
124 [with wood-cut). Aret/iusa ecristata, Griff. Notul., Ill, 378; Ic. Plant. Asiat, t. 343,
344. A: • hen/jalensis, Hort. Bot. Cale.
Siklcim, iu the bottoms of tropical valleys, usually under clumps of bamboo
and evidently parasitic on their roots; iu flower during May and June; Pantling
No. 146. Distributed over the whole of Bengal and Assam from the baso of the
Sikkim Himalaya to the Bay of Bengal ; also in Soutliem India and Perak.
The colour of the whole plant is ochraceous white, the flowers being tinged
with warn brown. The gi-owth of the flower-pedicel after fertilization of the ovary
is very remarkable.
PLATE ZiQ.—Bidpnoplexis pallcns, Griff, Plants ia flower and fruit, of mturaX SÌM. Fig. 1 a
floTvor, 2 pedicel, OTiuy aud flower, scon from the side, 3 apex of OTary, ooliunn and lip, in profth-,
4 floral bract and part of pedicel, 5 the lip, spread out, 6 apes of ovary and column with
anther in siiti, 7 apes of column after removal of the anther, sliowing the three apical teeth,
8 anther, 0 pollinia; all enhrged.
7 0 . Aphyllorohis, Blume.
Terrestrial leafless herbs with rhizomes and thick roots. Stem simple, sheatlicd.
Flowers racemose, brown in colom-. Sepals sub-equal, fi'ce, ei-ect or spreading. Fctals
smaller than the sepals. Lip sessile on the base of the colimin or attached to it by
a short claw, as long as the sepals, oblong, sometimes auiicled at the base, entii-e or
3-lobed. Column usiially rather long, wingless. Siigma anticous, concave, ovate or
oblong. Anther shortly stipitate, its cells contiguous; oblong or clavate. Species
about five, lucliau and Malayan.
F l o r a l hraot much longer than the ovary, strongly reflexed
F l o r a l bract shorter than the ovary, not reflesed,
Flowers '15 i
Flowers •
. 1. P. aipina.
. S. P. piri'iflora.
1 . ArnYLLOECDis ALPrsA, new species.
Height of the whole plant 18 to 30 inches. Rhizome elongate, loosely clothed
with small imbricating polished scales. Stem nearly as thick as the little finger,
beai-ing numerous unequal tubular bhmt sheaths -5 to 2'5 in. long. Raceme 8 to 12
iu. loug. Flowers -76 to 1 in. across, numerous, distant; the ovary and its slender
stalk about 1-25 in. long; Jloral Iraci large, linear, acuminate, much deflcxed,
1 to 1-25 iu. long. Sepals sub-equal, lanceolate, acuminate, concave, spreading.
Petals smaller than tho sepals, ovate-lanceolate, the midiib thickened ou the outer
sm-face. Lip shorter than the petals, clawed; the claw winged, adnate to the sides
of tho colimiu aud foming with them a small pouch; tho basal half with erect
roimded sides; the apical half ovate, acute, with involute margins aud au elliptic
convexity near the apex. Column stout, ciuTcd, striate ou its anterior sui-face; the