OUCHIDS OF THE SItEIM-HIMALATA.
minute ('06 in. long), brown, verticillate. Sepals and petals sub equal, broadly ovate,
obtuse or sub-acute, entire, spreading. Lip fleshy, much largei- than the sepals and petals,
3-lobed; the basal lobes large, auriculate, pectinate, with an elliptic nectar-secreting
concaTity between theii- anterior ends; the terminal lobe rather smaller, reniform,
entire except for a shallow elongate sub-mucronate erosion at the apex, Clinandrium
much broader than the autlier; pollinia resting on the minute projecting viscid rostelhim.
Lindl. Fol. Orchid. Oberouia, p. 4. Malazk Jenkinsiana, Reichb. fil. in Walp-
Ann. VI, 211.
Sikkim, ii-i the valley of the Teesta; elevation about 1,0(X) feet. Pantling No. 18-j.
Distrib. Khasia Hills up to 4,000 feet; Clarke, Hooker and Thomson.
Pi-ATE 7.—Oberonia Jenkumam, Griif. A plant, of natural she. Fig. 1 froat view of a flower,
2 floral bract, spread out, 3 anther, 4 pollrnia; all erclarjfed.
9. OBEKONIA MIDIFOLIA, Lindl. Gen. and Spec. Orchid., 15.
Slem sli'irt. Leaccs broadly ensiform, acute, 2 to 10 in. long and '25 to 1 in. broad.
Injhrcscence hmger than the leaves, decurved; peduncle winged, ebracteate; spike twice
(sometimfs three times) as long as the peduncle, its rdchis rather slender, densely-iiowed;
floral bract minute, elliptic, obtuse, coarsely erose, couvohite round the sessile ovary.
Flmc'S minute ('06 in. long), sub-verticillate, pale green or yellow. Sipais and petals
sub-equal, ovate, reflexed and resting on the ovary, the former entire, the latter erose.
Lip orbiculai-, indistinctly 3-lobed; the side lobes pectinate, ero.?e; the terminal
lobe broad, transversely oblong, deeply and bluntly emargiuate at the apex and
coarsely erose. Capsules broadly ovoid, sessile. Folia Orchid. Oberonia, p. 1. "Wall.
Cat. Xo. 1948-2 [in part only)-, Hook fil. Fl. Br. Ind. V, 675. Malaxis iridi/oUa, Reichb.
fil. in Walp. Ann. VI, 208.
Common in the tropical valleys of the Sikkim and Bhotan Himalaya; Pantling
No. 13. Also in the hill ranges of Assam and Burma, and in the Andaman Islands.
I n flower in Sikkim from September to December.
This is a widely-distributed and variable species; but only the typical form,
as above described, occm-s in Sikkim. Sir Joseph Hooker (Fl. Br. Ind. V, 676)
recognises three varieties, viz., var. denticulata, found in the Nilgiri and Pulney ranges
of hills; var. anguslifolia, from the Khasia Hill.s; and var. hrevifoUa, froni Burma and
the Andamans.
PLATB Oberonia iridifolia, Lindl. forma inpica. A plant, of natural siza. Fig, 1 a ilower,
front tietc, 2 a flower, side view, 3 floral bract, flattened out, 4 anther, 5 pollinia; all enlarged.
10. OBERONIA ENSIFORJUS, Lindl Fol. Orchid. Oberonia, p. 4.
St'm abcmt 3 in. long. Leaves linear-ensiform, acuminate, falcate, length 3 to IS in.,
breadth -o to '75 in. Infloreicenae erect, shorter than the leaves, its apex subtruncate,
its peduncle 2 to 3 in. long and bearing numerous minute lanceolate adpresseii
pale bracteoles; the raaems about twice as long as the peduncle; its rachis thick, fleshy,
t e r e t e ; floral bract longer than the ovary, convolute, ovate-rotund, sub-acute, erose. Flowers
•12 in. long, pale brown, not at all sunk in the rachis. Sep.ils sub-equal, broadly ovate,
sub-acute, entire, not ciliolate, reflexed. Petals ovate, sub-acute, stiffly pubescent, the
edges entire and ciliolate. Lip twice as long as the sepals, 3-lobed, witli two large
rounded entire basal lobes, a sub-quadrate smooth slightly concave mesochile which
bears on its edges two large projecting blister-like processes, and an ob-reniform
terminal lobe with two rounded lobules separated by a broad sub-quadrate apical sinus;
the -whole surface and margins of the lip except the smooth mesochile clothed with stiff
hairs. Hook. 61. Fl. Br. Ind. V, 679. 0. acaulis, Hook. Bot. Mag., t. 5056 (not o£
Griff.). 0. trilohata, Griff. Notul. Ill, 273. Malaxis ensi/ormis, Smith in Rees' Encycl.;
Reichb. fil. in Walp. Ann. VI, 212 (excl. syn.).
Sikkim, in the valley of the Teesta, at an elevation of about 1,500? feet; Pantling
No. 305; in flower in November. Nepal; Hamilton. Khasia Hills; GriCBth. Nilgiri Hills;
Proudlock.
This is the lai-gest species of Oberonia found in Sikkim; it has the peculiarity of
having all its leaves curved in the same direction. It falls into tho group witli
0. m/jriantha, Lindl. and 0. ferruginea, Parish, its nearest ally being probably the latter,
f r om which, however, it differs conspicuously in having its petals and lip entire instead
of fimbriate. Tho basal lobes of the lip, moreover, are broad, not narrow as in
0. ferruginea, and the apical sinus is obtuse, instead of acute as in that species. Specimens
recently received from Jlr. R. L. Proudlock, collected by him in the Nilgiri
Hills, exactly agree with those collected in Sikkim. It had not been previously
that 0. ^ensiformis occurred in Southern India.
PLATE Q.—Oberonia ensifnrmia, Lindi. A plant ; of natural she. Fig. 1 front view of a flower,
2 sepals and petals separated from tho rest of the flower, 3 floral bract, flattened out, 4 polhnia;
all enlarged.
11. OBERONIA DEMISSA, Lindl. Fol. Orchid., Oberonia, p. i.
Stem very short. Leaves narrowly oblong, tapering to the sub-acute apex and also
slightly to the base, sub-falcate, '5 to 3 in. long and '25 to '5 in. broad. Inflorescence
about as long as the longest leaves, erect or decurved; the peduncle about '25 in. long,
ebracteate, axillary; the raceme five or six times as long, truncate at the apex, denselyflowered;
the rachis rather stout; floral bract as long as the shortly-stalked ovary,
lanceolate, sub-acute, its edges obscurely crenulate. Flowers minute, ('05 in. long)
reddish-brown, densely whorl ed. SepaU sub-equal, ovate, entii-e, all reflexed and lying
on the ovai-y. Petals elliptic, obtuse, erose-dentate, spreading. Lip equalling tho sopald
in length but much broader, 3-lobed ; the lateral lobes oblong, blunt, falcate, erosedentate,
divergent; the terminal lobe quadrate, orbicular, with broad emarginate apo;s
and erose-dentate edges. Hook. fil. Ic. Plantar., t. 1785 B; FI. Br. Ind. V, 6S0.
Malaxis demissa, Reichb. fil. in Walp. Ann. VI, 211.
Tropical valleys in the Sikkim Himalaya; Hooker, Pantling, No. 238.
Pi,ATE Id.—Oberonia dem'ssa, Lindl. Two plaots, of natural sisi. Fig. 1 front
2 flower ia profile, 3 floral bract, flattened out, 4 pollinia; all enlarged.
' of flower,
12. OBERONIA OBCOKDATA, Lindl. Fol. Orchid., Oberonia, p. 7.
Caulescent; the stems short and many-leaved, or 1'5 to 3 inches long and fewer-leaved,
fleshy, compressed. Leaves linear, falcate, acute, fleshy, '75 to 1'75 in. long. Peduncleof
inflorescenoo short, with a few bracts or with none; raceme slender, as long as the
longest loaf; floral Iract larger than the flower, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, minutely
and ii-regularly toothed. Floioers -reddish-brown, about '05 in. long, iu dense whorls,
ANN. Roy. Bor, GARD, CALCUTTA, YOL. VIII.