303 ORCHIDS OP THE SIKKIM-HIMALAYA.
atraiglit, vortical, cyliiidiic, tapcviiig sliglitly to tlio tip. PoUinia pyriforra; the caiidiclcs
short, tapering; the glands elUptic, lying conccalud in tlio rostclliir pouch, or naked,
{tho rostollar pouch being rudimentary). Staminodes rather small, ruguloso, broadly
elliptic, lying opposite tlie badcs of tho anthor-colls. Stigmas distinct, elliptic, widened
at the lower end attached to tho margins of the column interior to tlie staminodes.
Hook. fil. Ic. Plantar., t. 2197A; Fl. Br. Ind. VI, 127. Gi/vmadonia sjjathuhta, Liadl,
Gen. and Spec. Orch. 280.
Sikkiin, at Gnatong, elevation 11,000 feet; on the Sin-ga-le-la rnngo, elevation 12,000
feet; in floAver during July; Pantling Nos. ;327 and 383. Lauhung; Hooker, G. Gammio,
Nos. ¿10, 776. Chumbi; King's Collectors. Gharwal-Himalaya; Duthio Nos. IW and
oIJ.
In this species the stigmas (unlike those of tyi:)ical Orchis) are distinct and situate
on tho margins of the column, thus affording a connecting link with Huhcnana in
wlucli distinct stigmas are common.
The colour of tho flowers is white or purple. In some specimens the polliniar
glands aro covered by the single rostollar pouch characteristic of the genus Orchis) but
in a large proportion of spueimcns the glands aro practically naked, the rostollar pouch
being quite rudimentary and lying behind and beneath tho glands.
PLATE 400.—ORC/II'S spathulata, Reiehb. fil. A plant, of natural size. Fig. 1 bract, ovary and
flower, 2 ovary, column and lip, iu pro/iM, 3 lip, 4 the petals, 5 and 6 two views of tlie
column—fig. 5 sbowiug the lateral stigmas (s), tlie poUiniivT glauds (¿i ¡7) naked, (the rosfcella being
very small, rudimentary, and lying below and behind the glauds aud not coverhig tliem in iront);
fig. G allowing the poUiuiar glands in a single rosteUar pouch (/•), the lateral stigmas (sj, aud one of
the staminodes (s m); tlie base of tho lip (/} is also shown—7 poliinia; aU enlarged.
2. OKCHIS HABEXARIOIDES, King and Pautling.
Height of entire plant 12 to 20 inches. clothed at the base with unequal
tuhular sub-acute wide-moutlied sheaths, tuber digitate. Zeavis four or five, scattered
along the stem, sessile, elliptic-oblong to linear-oblong, sub-acnte, slightly narrowed to the
rather long sheath; length 2 to 5 in., breadth -70 to 1'25 in.; stem above the leaves
short and bearing two or three lanceolate spreading bracts. Sjji/ce I'o to 2-5 iu. long,
densely-flowered, cylindric. Ftowers '25 in. across; /oral hract herbaceous, lanceolate,
acuminate, longer than the shortly-beaked cui-ved ovary. Sepals sub-equal, puberulous,
broadly ovate; the dorsal forming a hood with the petals; the lateral pair spreading,
their apices acute and somewiiat reflexed. Petals nearly as long as the sepals, obliquely
ovate-rotmid, cut away near the broad base at the inner side, the apex minutely
apiculate. Lip broadly oblong, the base ti-uncato and adnate to the base of the column,
tlie apex hroad witli a very shallow central lobe, the upper surface quite smooth; spur
as long as the ovaiy, curved, slightly clavate, laterally compressed, puberulous inside.
Coliann short, broad. Anther-cells parallel, not far distant from each other; pollinia broadly
elKjrtic, somewhat oblique, very obtuse at the apex; the caudicles short, stout, tapering,
mthout pouches; glauds oblong, the free ends truncate, the lower attached to tho caudicio
and embedded in the stigma. Staminodes large, sub-orbicular, rugulose, lying at the sides
of the caudicles. Stigmas conjoined into a narrow band i-unuing beneath the orifice
of the spur transversely from side to side of the column, and becoming wider opposite
OECHIS. 303
that orifice. Gìjìnnadenia cylindrostachga, Lindi, in Wall. Cat. 7056; Gen. and Spec.
Orch., 278. G. orchidis and G. violacea, Lindi. Gen. and Spec. 1. c. Platanthcra orchidia,
Lindi, in "Wall. Cat. 7039A. Ealenaria orchidis, Hook. fil. Fl. Br. Ind. VI, 142.
Sikldra, on the Sin -ga-Ie-Ia range and in the Lachoiig Valley, at elevations
of about 12,000 feet; in flower during August; Bantling No. 40-i. Bhotan in the
Chumbi Valley; King's Collector. Nepal; Wallich. Kashmir; Clarke No. 29239. Bangi;
Stolickza.
Tho colour of the flowers is pinkish or violet, but occasionally they appear to be
puro white. Tliis plant is to some extent variable, and was described from imperfect
herbarium material under three specific names by Lindley, but always under the genus
Gymnadenia. It had originally been refciTod by him in Wallich's Catalogno (No. 7039}
to Platanthcra. But tlio latter genus was by Lindley himself finally considered as
inseparable from Gymnadenia. In dealing, in the Flora of British India, with the
three Himalayan species of Gymnadenia described by Lindley, Sir Joseph Hooker transfers
G. spathulata and G. Chiisiia to Orchis, biit he transfers G. orchidis (and the two which
he reduces to itj to IlaUnaria, with the remark that, as a Ilahenaria, it forms a veiy
anomalous member of tho section {Plaiyglossa) whero ho places it. Believing that this
plant is really more of an Orchis than of a Ilahenaria, we have ventured to transfer it to
the fomier. We aro keenly alive to tho fact that the lino of demarcation between tlio
two genera is a very uncertain one; and wo tliink it advisable to givo considerable
weight to the colour of tlio flower, which in this plant is pink or pni'ple (the prevailing
colom' in Orchis), whereas in the nudouhted Indian species of Ilahenaria the flowers are
usually of some shade of green or of greenish-yellow, even wlúto itself being micommon.
PLATE 401.—Orchis hnhenarioides, King and Pantling. A plant, of natural sia«, Fig. 1 bract,
ovary and flower, 2 column showing the aiitlier-eells, pollinia and their caudicles and glands (p g)
in situ, staminodes (s), stigma (5), and moutli of spur (e), 3 petals, 4 lip, 5 section of spur,
6 pollinia; all enlarged.
3. ORCHIS CHUSUA, Don Bred. Fl. Nep. 23.
Entire plant from 4 to 10 in. high; tiilcr small, elliptic, entire. Stem with two
unequal tubular hlunt sheaths at the base. Leaves one or two, wide apart on the stem,
narrowly oblong, acute, not narrowed to tho sheathing base; length 1"5 to 3 in,, breadth
•2 to -3 in.; the second leaf, wlicn present, much smaller than the first; stem above
the leaves short, naked. Spi/ce 1 to 1-75 in. long, 3- to 6-flowercd, secund. Flowers '6
in. to -75 in. across (vertically); floral hrad foliaceous, lanceolate, as long as the
fusiform ovary- Sepals oblong, blunt, the dorsal resting on tho parallel petals; the
lateral pah- recurvod. Petals broadly ovoid, dimidiate, sub-acute, the bases tmncate.
Lip deep'y 3-lobcd; tho lobes equal, oblong, blunt, the lateral ones diverging; spv.r
cylindiic, slightly davate, as long as and adpressed to the straight ovaiy. Column
short. Anther-cells parallel, Ijdng doso together; pollinia ovoid-globose, narrowed very
little to tho long tapering candido; the glands small, ovate-oblique, each lying in a
small pouch. Stamnodes largo, rugulose, ovate, pointed, attached outside tho bases of the
anther-cdls. Stigmas conjoined into a large concave sui-face under the anther-cells.
Hook, fil. Fl. Br. Ind. VI, 127. Gymnadenia Chusua, Lindi, in Wall. Cat. 7058; Gen.
and Spec. Orch. 2S0. G. puherula, Lindi, in Wall. Cat. 7059.