10 ORCHIDS OF THE SIKEIM-HIMALAYA.
densest towards tho base of the raceme. Sepals sub-equal, broadly ovate, the dorsal
acute, the lateral pair obtuse. Petals linear-oblong, sub-acute, spreading-. Lip much
longer and broader than tho sepals, with an oblong narrow mesochile ridged in the
middle, two oblong blunt entire divergent lateral lobes, and a large ob-reniEorm
tenniiial lobe, the sinus shallow and wide making the apex broadly bilobulate, the edges
entire. Hook. fil. Ic. Plantar., t. 1783; Fl. Br. Ind. V, 684. MaUxis olcordata, Reichb.
fjl. in Walp. Ann. VI, 216.
Silddin-nimalaya, at elevations of from 5,000 to 9,000 feet; Griffith, Hooker,
Clarke and other collectors; Pantling No. 47. Khasia Hills, alt. 5,000 feet; Griffith,
Ko. 5087. Kaga Hills, on Japboo, elev. 9,000 feet, Oolomb. In flower in Sikkim from
June to October.
This species is veiy variable in habit. Some specimens have only a single leaf;
some have short stems and five or six leaves crowded close together, "while others have
Stems one and a half to three inches long wifh three or four distant leaves. The
caulescent forms are occasionally viviparous, and the -whole plant U usually more or
le^^s suffused with reddish-brown. ^Ve believe 0. Trentleri, Hook, fil., to be a form
of this. Tho sinie form was recognisod by Reichenbaoh fil. as a variety of this under
the name var. latifolit. Tho nectary, which in most species of Oheronia is in the form
of a concavity near the base of the Hp, is in this a tunnelled ridge on the mesochile,
with a single very minute opening at the end next the stigma. This remarkable
arrangement was discovered by Mr. Pantliug after the examination of numerous living
flowers. The species is a very common one in Sikkim.
Plate ll.-—Oberonii obcorda'-a, Liiidl. Tlivee plants, of natuml size. Fig. 1 front view of a
flower, '2 floral bract opened out, 3 pollinia, complete, 4 profile of two pollinia; all enlarged.
13. Oberc.nia myeiaxtha, Lindl. Fol. Orchid., Obei-onia, p. 4.
Stems short, slightly tufted. Leaves ensiform, acuminate, falcate, very unequal in
size, from -75 to 10 in. long and -15 to '5 in. broad. Inflorescence much longer than
the leaves, slender, much dcciu'ved; its peduncle terete, rather thickly clothed with
slightly-spreading linear bracts; tho rachis of the raceme not thicker than the
peduncle but several times as long; floral bract lanceolate, acuminate, coarsely orosefimbriate,
equalling the long-sialked ovary. Flowers of a warm brown colour, •! in.
long, VPiy numerous, more or less whorled. Sepah ovate, entire. Petals oblong, entire,
truncate, spreading or reflexed on the ovary like the sepals. Lip longer than the
sepals and petals; the lateral lobes broadly oblong, sub-crenulate, blunt, sub-divergent but
pointing forwards; the teiminal lobe large, deeply cleft into two broadly oblong blunt
lobules separated from caeh other by a triangular blunt or acute sinus; Ihe upper
surface of the lip with a few irregularly scattered watery blisters ultimately changing
into scales, and also with a small shallow depression at the base just under tho
column. Capsules cylindric clavate, boldly ribbed, pedicelled. Hook. fil. Fl. Br. Ind.
V 679. 0. Sikldmensis, Lindl. Fol. Orch., Oberonia, 4. 0. acaidis, Griff. Notul. Ill,
a7a- Itin. Notes 76, No. 1130; Ic. PI. Asiat., t. 286, fig. 1. Malaxis mijrianlha and
M. Sihkimensis, Reichb. fil. in Walp. Ann. VI, 212.
Valleys of the Sikkim-Himalaya; at elevations of 3,000 to 4,000 feet; common:
Pantling No. 195; in flower in Sikkim from October to December. Khasia Hills,
elevation 3,o00 to 5,000 feet. Naga Hills, Clarke.
Plate \2.-Oheronla mijriantha, Lindl. A plant, of natural size. Fig. 1 fiont view of a flower,
2 column, 3 floral bract, 4 antlier, 5 and 6 pollinia; all enlarged.
14. Obfjionia pakvula, King and Pantling in Journ. As. Soc. Beng., Vol. LXIV,
pt. 2, p. 330.
Whole plant under two inches in height, not tutted, or only very slightly so.
Leaves two or three, lanceolate, acute, '5 to nearly I in. long, and -12 to -25 in.
broad. Inflorescence erect, twice as long as the leaves; the pc'tuncle slender, ebracteate,
about half as long as the thickcued terete tapering racemc; floral hract equalling tho
shortly-stalked ovary, oblong-lanceolate, sub-mucronate, the edges crenulate. Flotoers
minute ('06 in. long), crowded but not whoded. Sepals ovate, sub-acute, the upper one
entire; the lateral paii- rather larger and more spreading, keeled and with wavy edges.
Petals oblong, truncate, entire, spreading, pale yellow aiid translucent like the sepals.
Lip reddish-brown, broadly obovate in general outline, with a concavity near the base,
3-lobed; tlie lateral lobes small, apicalIy-])ointing, falcate-triangular, sub-acute; the
terminal lobe long, deeply bifid, its sub-falcato lobules separated by a deep wide sinus
mucronato at its apex. Stigma convex.
In the Teesta Valley, at Guru Bathan, elevation 1,500 feet; Pantling No. 203; in
flower in February.
This, like 0. lohulata, has a convex stigma.
Plate Q'S.—Oberonia parmla. King and Pantling. Two plants, of mlural she. Fig. 1 front
view of a flower, 2 floral bract, flattened out, 3 anther, 4 pollinia; all onlavged.
15. Oberonia CAtJLESCENS, Lindl. Fol. Orchid., Oberonia 7.
Stems 1 to 2 in. long. Leaves about five, lurear-ensiform, acute or acurainatc,
rather fleshy, '5 to 1 in. long and '15 to '2 in. broad. Inflorescence erect, not adnatc
to a leaf twice as long as tho longest leaf; its peduncle terete, short, bracteate; the
raceme slender. Flowers reddish-brown, minute ('05 in. long), verticillate in the lower
three-fourths of the raceme, spai-se and ii-regular in the upper fourth; floral hraci equal in
length to the stalked ovary, laoceolate, its apex aristate. Sepals ovato, sub-acute, entire.
Peidls lanceolate, acute, entire, spreading like the sepals. Lip nearly three times as
long as the sepals, 3-Iobed and with a small deep elliptic depressed nectary at its
base just below the column; lateral lobes triangular-falcate, their apices pointing
forwards ; terminal lobe dee^Dly cleft at its apex into two caudate-acuminate sub-parallel
lobules separated by a deep narrow sinus mucronate at its apex. Lip of anlher
acute. Lindl. in Wall. Cat. 1950 ; Gen. and Spec. Orchid., 15; Hook. fil. Fl. Br. Ind. V,
683. Malaxis caidescens, Reichb. fil. in Walp. Ann. VI, 215.
Sikkim; common at elevations of about 6,000 feet; Pantling No. 454; in flower
during July and August. Nepal; Wallich. Khasia Hills; Lobb, Hooker fil., and T.
Thomson.
The nearest ally of this is probably 0. caudala, King and Pantling, a species from
Perak recently described in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal; but in
that species the pcdunclo is adnate to a leaf, tho petals are very narrow and acuminate,
as also are the lateral lobules of the lip; the terminal lobules of the lip are,
moreover, longer than in this.
Ann. Hot. Pot. Gard. Calcutta, Vol. YIIL