^ ^ OE C H I D S OF THE SIKEIM-HISTALATA.
Br. Ind. VI, Ilo. Blmmphklkt mhem, Linci, in Joum. Linn. Soc. I, 183. CenchUm
naen, Lindi, in Gari. Olitoli. ISoi, 87. ffoo%™ No. i, Grifl. Notai. HI, 390.
Sikkini, al cloTations of from 1,500 to 3,000 foot, common; in fiowcr dimn"
J a n u a r y and February; Pmitling No. 203. Assam; G. JIann. Cliitlagoiig; Listo
ISuniia; Griffith (Kcw Distrib. Noa. 5341 and 5342).
T h e sepals and petals are groon tipped with pink, the lip green tipped with
iTlnto, and the column yellowisli-piiit. Tlie oyaries are of a dull dark purple, and the
Horal bmcts of a pale bright purple or red. The leaves are green.
P , 899.-ir.toi, ,„i.„, B„th. A plant, „•„. pig i w, ovary „ d £<,„r,
i «oral biBct, ovnry and column, .towing tto aulLer (,), ,tigm. (,), «nd K,i (/), 3 lip, 4 .pei of
mlumn ¿owing llie polliniar gkad (yj) ,„d .tignia (i), 6 pollini., 6 . prf „f He pednnel, diowing
the gloadulnr liims; all enlarged.
Tribe VI.-OPHRYDEAE.
AaBmr-cdh sessile on the colmiin, aiiticoiis or posticous, discrete or contiguous, but
always distinct, parallel or diverging, often with tubes from their bases, each with a
Btammodo en its outer surface; polU.m two, rai-ely foiu-, usually with eaudiclos and
always with glands; the glands naked or enclosed in the same pouch or in two distinct
ponohes. St,g,m, two, aistinct or conjoined below the aiither-ccns; pollen granular or
sectilo, net waxy.
Anther-cells antieous, lip with . single spur.
Flowers m spikes or racemes, small or mediocre; the sepuls Iiu'ger
thim the petals.
Lip willi a long spur.
Flowers pink or purple, sometimes wHte; anther cells
without tulles; poUhiioi ghmds often m . pouch . . . S8. Oi ihn.
Flowers green or yehoivisli-green, rarely white; imther-
COUH often with long tubes; poUini.r glands naked
(esocpt in B. fmuA,),ryi] sr . ÄW« .
Lip with no spur or with a very hiconspieuoas short saborhiculiix
spur; dowers green; anther-cells with long tubes;
pollmiai glands ndied MíTmmhm.
Flowera eolitaiy, l.rge; the septds smaUer than the petals . . . 3D. Mijjlomens
Anther-coUs postioon, or sub-anticons; Mp with two spun SO. Sal^yiu,,,.'
86. Orchis, Linn.
T e r r e s t r i a l erect leafy herbs with oblong or digitately lobcd tubers, or with fleshy
fibrous roots. sh e a t h i n g , not pKcato. me d i um- s i a d , usually pink or
purple, rar-ely white, not g„en, in spikes or racemes; the / . r d l„ct small, or foEaeeou.
and cxceedrng the flower. Sq,al, sub-equal, the dorsal conniving to fonn a hood with
t h e petals, the lateral pail- spreading. I'.iak Kko the sepals or smaller. Lip adnate to
t u e base of the column, spreading or pendulous, entire or 3-lobed, rarely 4- or 5-lobed
a l ™ y s spmi-ed. ColuM,, very short. two , antieous, parallel, contiguous,'
without tubes; polün,, usually attached to caudicles; glands two, distinc; or mited;
l y i n g iu a common pouch, or naked. Siamtnodes nigulosc, attaclicd to the outer sui-faces
of the anther-cclls or to the cohimn by their sides. Stif/mas unit(;d into a tmnsverso
b a n d l>-ing across the cohtnin for its whole breadth, or distinct and at the margins of
tlio column (0. hahenarioidcs). Species about 80; natives of Em-ope, tcuipeiutc parts of
Asia and Africa, also of Madagascar.
A genua very closely alHed to mnninium and Hnbenarin, (vnd senior to both in order of puUicotion,
seeing ttat tlie name was adopted from Tomiiefort liy Linntcus; wLile llerminium originated with
Liniiioiis, and H.ibcim'ia was not published by WiUdeuow until 1805. For oouTenieuoe for study, and
with the view of avoiding a formidable increase to the already almost insupportablo burden of synonymy,
^•e rwposo to leave the geiiora as they ai'e. Herminkm and Rahcnaria ore at present kept out of
0>-chs by charactera fonnded on the colour of thoii' flowers, which is either green or gi-eenish-yellow
(wHte hi a few species of EMnaria), -n-hile the flowers of Orchis are mosUy pink or pmple. Iu
mnninuim and Eahcnaria tho auther-ccUs have tubes which are absent in Orchis. In other respects tlie
chnxactevs of the three gerera are substantiaUy the same. The niiuute saccate form of the spur (wheu
a spur is present at aU) serves to some extent as a character to keep Herminimt distinct froiii Orchis and
Suhenaria, iu both of which a spur is largely developed. In ZTormiuivm the glands of the pollinia are
invariably naied, and in all the Indian speoies of SahcHaria (with the solitary exception of 11. pmidophras)
these glands are also naked; whereas, in the majority of tho purple-flowered species ranked under
Orchis, t}ie two poUhiiar gknds rest withia a common pouch. Oi^hrys (also a Lumceau genus) is closely
allied to Orchis, but is disthiguished from the latter by the absence of a spur and also by the presence
on the upper smface of the convex lip, of calli and other processes of .shich there is no trace in tJie
flat Up of Orchis. In three of the four species of Orchis described in this book the stigmas ai'e united,
but iu 0. spathulaia they are distinct, '
Stigmas distinct.
Lip without side lobes.
Apiwd lobe of lip rounded, entire spaihulaia.
Stigmas united.
Ai)ioal lobe of Up with three shallow cronations «. 0 . habcnarioidcs.
Lip 3-lobed, the lobes sub-eciiial 3. 0. Chusm.
Smaller m aU its parts, the lobes much shallower . . . 3. „ („„,-. nana).
Lip with large oblong truncate side lobes; the apical lobe with
two truncate lobules almost as large as tho side lobes . . . i. 0. puUrnla.
1. ORCnis SPATHITLATA, Rcichb. ill.
Wliole plant 2 to 8 inchcs high. Stent proceeding from a tliin rhizome, mth one
or two lax tubidar bhint sheaths at its base. leaf solitaiy from very near the base,
( r a r c l y a second from the middle of the stem) narrowly cUiptic, blunt, tapering
i n t o a petiole of varjdng length; length of blade 1 to 3 in., bi-eadth -4 to 1 in!',
t h e petiole abont tho same lengtii; stem above tho leaf elongate, naked, slender, angled!
SpUce short, 1- to 4-flowered. Floims nearly -5 in. across (vertically); floral Iract longer
t h a n the flower, foHaceous, lanceolate, sub-acute. Scpah unequal, the dorsal ovate, obtuse
conniving with tho petals to form a hood; tho lateral pair as long, oblong, sub-acute'
spreadhig. Fciah broadly clMptic, falcate, tapering slightly to the obtuse obHquo apex'
somewhat shorter than the sepals. Lip as long as the sepals, broadly elliptic, obtuse at
base and apex, tho edges sub-undulate; the upper surface slightly pubescent, with numerous
shallow vertical grooves running f rom base to near tho apex, and with a sliglitly thickened
a r e a in front of the entrance to the spur) spur about half as long as the ovaiy