ORCHIDS OF TUE SIKKIM-HINfALí TA.
1. ÜRBMmUM ASGUSTIFOIIUM, Bcûth. MSS.
Ind. VI, 129.
, Hook. fil. Fl Br.
Whole plant 10 to 30 iu. high; Mors small, oblong or ellipsoid. Sicm clothed
in its lowci- part with tubular acute sheaths. Leaves two or tliree, long, linear, acuminate,
not nan-owed to the long sheath; lengt-li 2 to 10 in., breadth -15 to -5 in. Stem
above the leaves short, usually bearing a linear acuminate bract. Spike cylindric, narrow,
2-5 to 10 iu. long, mauy.flowered. Flowers (to tho end of the lip) about -3 in. long,
crowded ; Jloral Iract linear-lanceolate, acuminate, shorter than or as long as the ovary.
Sepals sub-equal, oblong, obtuse, the dorsal connivent with the petals to form a hood
over the column, the lateral pair spreading. Petals as long as the sepals, but very
naiTowly linear. lip much longer than the sepals, deflexed from the base, oblong in
general outline ; tho lower half minutely auriculate and with a small concavity at tlie
base; the anterior half ti-iiid at its apex, the middle lobo very short; tlie side lobes
long, filiform, cui-ved. Antlicr-cdh parallel, eloss together; polUnia pyriform, with rather
blunt bases and very short slender caudicles ; glands small, discoid; staminodes large.
Stigmas two, transversely oblong, Ij'ing close together end to end below the authcr-cells.
Aceras angmtifolia, Lindl. in "Wall. Cat. 7061; Gen. and Spec. Orch. 282; Bot. Reg.
under t. 1525; in Journ. Linn. Soc. HI, 43; Royle III. Bot. Him. t. 87; Wight lo.
t. 1691. II. hngicniris, Wright in Mem. Acad. Philad., Ser. 2, YI, 141. Thishe, Falc.
in Lindl. Veg. Kingd. 183c { name onli/).
Sikkim, common at elevations of from 4,500 to 9,000 feet or upwards; in flower
during July and August ; Pautling No. U. Westwards along tlie chain to Gharwal.
Bhotan, Khasia Hills, Naga Hills, Tonassjrim. Distrib—China, Japan, Manchuria.
Tho flowers arc of a nnifom green colour.
PLATE 434.—Uorminuim anjusli/oMiim, Bentli. A plant, of naiui-a! sise. Fig. 1 bract, ovary and
flower, 2 upper part of ovary, column with anther in siiit and Hp, 3 npes of column and base of lip,
anthGr-cclls witk the polLinia and their appendages, staminodes and Btigmas, 4 pollinia; all enlarged.
2. nEE-MiNiOM QUINQUELOBUM, King and Pantling in Journ. As. Sot3. Beng.,
Vol. LXV, Pt. 2, 130.
Entire height of the plant 4 to 12 in. ; Mers oblong, undivided, about 1 in.
long. Lower paj't of slem enveloped in two long convolute sheaths, leaves two, rising
from about the middle of the stem, linear-oblong:, sub-acute, 0 or 7 in. long and -5 to
•G in. broad; stem above the leaves with a single linear bract 1-5 in. long. Spih 1-5
to 4 in. long, rather laxly-flowered. Flowers '25 iu. across to cud of lip; tho Jloral Iract
lanceolate, as long as tho shortly-bealced ovary. S^.pah sub-equal, free, ovate-oblong,
sub acutc, spreading. Petals linear-acuminate, spreading and, like the sepals, l-nerved.
Lip longer than tiie sepals, oblong with small triangular ba.sal auricles besides lateral
lobes and a contracted tiiangular acuminate terminal lobe ; the lateral lobes near the
apex, and sometimes elongate. Column broad. Antlter-eells discrete, parallel; polUnia
broadly ovoid, blunt at each end, the caudicles short and stout, the glands discoid.
Staminodes oblong. Stigmas two, transversely oblong, lying between the polliuiar glands
r.iid the concavity of the lip, their ends dose together but not united,
Sikkim, at Tendong, elevation 7,000 feet; in flower during August; Pantling
No. 389. Also at Tankra, elevation 9,500 feet; G. Gammie. Sinchal; King. Darjeeling;
Clarke, Thomson.
HERMi:^XUiI. 333
A species like H. angiistlfoliim, Benth., in general appearance; but the flowers have
a totally different lip and the sepals are spreading and free, those of H. avgusUfoUum
being connivent. This has been named from its 5-lobed lip. Its flowers are green.
PLATE Wi.—Sermimim qiiin ^ uclohum, King and Pantling. A plant, of naiurnl sizo. Fig. I bract,
OTory and flower, 2 poUinisi, of natural sise.
3. HERMINIUJI JAFFREYANUM, King and Pantling
Vol. LXV, Pt. 2, 130.
I Jom-n. As. Soc. Beng.,
Enliiti plant 4 to 8 in, high; the tuber ellipsoidal. Stem with one or two short
convolute sheaths near the base. Leaves two, about an inch apart, from near the
middle of tho stem, narrowly oblong, acute, broad and sheathing at the base, 4 to
4-5 in. long and -3 to -5 iu. broad; stem above the leaves with a linear acuminate bract
1'5 iu. long. Spi/:e 1-5 to 3 iu. long, deusely-fiowered; tho Jloral brad lanceolate,
about as long as tho ovary. Floivers -15 in. across, Sepals broadly ovate-elUptic, blunt,
concave, spreading slightly. Petals spreading, narrowly oblong, obtuse, longer than the
sepals, l-nerved. Lip tiat, naiTowly oblong-triangular from a broad base; basal lobes
very small, short, rounded; the terminal lobe elongate, tapering to the blunt apex.
Column short, broad. Anther-cells discrete, parallel; polUnia wedge-shaped, without
caudicles; stigmas united, tiunsverselj' oblong.
Sikkim, common at elevations of from 8,000 to 10,000 feet; in flower dming
August; Pantling No. 237.
In externals this resembles II. angiistifoUxim, Benth., with which indeed it has been
confounded. It has, however, very different sepals and lip. This also resembles
II. gramineian, Lindl., which, however, has only a single leaf; the lip of II. graminemn,
moreover, is ovnte-a cumin ate and concave, and its flowers have longer and more subulate
bracts. This also resembles H. qvÁnqvelolum, King and Pantling, but has sessile pollinia
and a different lip. The flowers are green.
PLATK 43C. Hennlnium Jnffrcyaniim, King and Pantling. A plant, of natural sisx. Fig. 1 a
flowor, 2 pollinia; all calnrged.
A. ILERIIINICM PUGIONII'OKSIE, Lindl. MSS. ex. Hook. fil. Fl. Br. Ind. VI, 130,
Height of entire plant 2 to 7 in.; Mer small, globular. Stem with one or two
minute sheaths at the base, leaf solitary, sub-radical, oblong-oblanceolate, sub-acute or
obtuse, slightly narrowed to the very short sheath; length -65 to 1 in,, breadth
•35 to '5 in.; stem above tho leaf elongate, naked. Spike '35 to 1'75 in. long,
laxly-flowered Flowers minute, only about '05 in. across; Jloral Iract broadly ovate,
shorter than the tumid ovaiy. Sepals unequal; tho dorsal broadly ovate, forming a hood
over the column with the petals; tho latei-al pair rather longer than the dorsal, falcately
oblong, obtuse. Petals coiicave, rotund, their edges crcnulate. Lip as long as the lateral
sepals ; tho base much expanded, fleshy and excavated into two deep oval parallel pits ;
the anterior part linear-oblong sub-terete. Anther-cclls discrete, their apices touching,
their tubes diverging; polUnia elliptic, slightly clavate, tapering somewhat {without
having definite caudicles) to the elliptic glands; staminodes oblong with obtuse ends.
Stigmas conjoined, lying between tho polhniar glands.