m
so OBCUIDS OF THE SIKKIM-HIMAL.iTA.
the terminal lobe orbicular -with undulate edges, pubcnilous ou both surfaces, tlie
disc sub villous. Column broad at the apex, the foot tapcriiig, flat in its upper part;
the ncctaiy lai-ge, its upper margiu erose and its lower with two calli, tiie centre
occupied by a thickened line. Anther minutely papillose. Lindl. in Bot. Keg. 1844, 49 ;
in Journ. Linn. Soe. ILL, 12; Bot. Mag., t. 8199; lieiclib. fil. in Gard. Citron. 1875,
I, 305, figs. 57, 58; 1881, II, 625, fig. 120; Veitch Man. Dendrob. 17; Hooic. fil. Fl.
]3r. Ind. V, 738. V. mesochhrum, Lindl. in Bot. Eeg. 1847, under t. 36; Past. Fl.
Gard. Vol. I, 63, fig. 43. D. Eyertoma;, Lindl. 1. c.; Past. Mag. 1. c. fig. 44.
Sikkim; in tropical valleys, up to elevations of 4,000 ftet; Pantling No. 267;
a common plant; flowering during June. Westward to Ghanval and eastward to
Bhotin, Sylhet and Burinah.
One of the naosfe charming of Indian Dendrobes. The flowers smell of violets;
the sepals and petals ai-e white tipped with violet, and the lip is white with a purple
sjjot near the apes and a flush of greenish yellow towards the middle; the upptr part
of the oolumn is gi-een, the lower part of it and the whole of the mentimi are violet.
This species is pendulous, while D. transparcns, its near ally, grows erect.
PLATE 69.—Bcndrobhun amcsnnm, Wall. A plant, of natural siz/^. Fig. 1 bract, stalked ovary
and lip, in profile, 2 iip, 3 column and its foot, 4 vertical section of tlie sac formed by the union
of the hp with the produced ioot o£ the column, 6 anther, 6 pollinia; aU enlarged.
16 Dexduobium tkansparens, "Wall. Cat. 2008-1.
Stems slender, erect, with a narrow thickening at the nodes, 12 to 24 iu. long.
Leaves linear-lanceolate, the ape--: acute and oblique; length 3 or 4 in., breadth -35 to
•5 in. Flowers 1-5 in. across, io pairs from the leafless stems; floral bract broadly
lanceolate, scarious, sometimes -5 in. long, but always much shorter than the stalked
ovary. Sepals subequal, lanceolate, acute. Petals about the length of the sepals, but
ovate and with blunter apices. Lip as long as the sepals, broadly elliptic-obovate
(when .spread outl, clawed at the base; the side lobes broad, erose and convolute; the
terminal lobe sub-orbicular, undulate; the upper surface pubescent. Column with two
horn-like processes at the apex, the foot narrowed and with a small nectar-secreting
cavity at its apes. Mentum short, conic, obtuse. Anther puberulous; its lip truncate,
entire. Lindl. Gen. and Spec. Orchid., 79; in Bot. Rcgist. 1844, Misc. 62; in Jouru.
Linn. Sec. Ill, 12; Bot. Mag. t. 4663 ; Past. Fl. Gard. 1, 134, t. S7; Veitch Man.
Dendrob. 81; Hook. fil. Fi. Br. Ind. V, 738. D. nenshalli, Keichb. fil. in Bonplandia,
III, 226. Dendrob. Grifí. Notul. 198, No. 1135, p. 198.
Sikkim ; common at the base of the range, and ascending to elevations of 3,000
feet; Pantling No. 79; in flower during May. "Westward to Kamaon and eastwards
to Assam and the Khasia Hills; also in the Chittagong Hills.
The petals are white, occasionally sufíused with pink; the Hp has a large purple
patch along its middle, with purple lines towards the base; the column is greenishyellow
with a purple patch at its lower end, and the stigma has red lines round
it. Although the expression side lobes has been used in describing the convolute
part of the lip, there are no distinctly marked side lobes.
PLATE 7(i.—I):ndrobium tramparens, "Wall. A plant and Fig. 5 i
lip, 8 column and ita foot, 3 anther, 4 pollinia; all enlarged.
capsule, of natural - Fig. 1
DENDEOBIUir.
17. Dendrowum nobile, Lindl. Gen. and Spec. Orchid., 24.
Stems erect, somewhat compressed, -4 in. thick near the apex, thinner at the basoj
12 to 24 in. long. Loaves coriaceous, oblong, the apex sub-obtuse and obliquely notched,
slightly narrowed to the base; length 3 to 4-5 in., breadth '75 to M in. Floivers 2 to 3
in. across, solitary, or two to fom- in short racemes from the nodes of the leafy or
leafless stems; the Jloral hraets -25 to -35 in. long, loose, scarious. Sepals subequal in
length, the dorsal oblong-elliptic, the lateral pair oblong, all obtuse. Petals elliptic,,
broader than the sepals. Lip broadly ovate-oblong, pubescent, the margins of the lower
half incurved, the terminal half cucullate, with recurved spreading margins, the base
with a very short claw. Column short, erose just behind the anther, very broad opposite
the stigma. Mentum conical, blunt, short. Anther conical, its lip truncate and erose;
pollinia elongate, narrow. Lindl. Sert. Orchid., t. 3; in Bot. Reg. 1844, Misc. 48; in
Journ. Lion. Soc. Ill, 12; Past. Mag. VII, t. 7; Hartni. Parad. I, t. 11; Reichb. fil.
in Gard. Chron. XVII, 366; "Williams Orch. Alb. t. 214; Veitch Man. Dendrob. 63,
with fig. and var. nohilim, 64; Reichunbachia, II, t. 53 (var. Sanderiana)-, Hook. fil.
Fl. Br. Ind. V, 740. D. ctsrulescens, Wall, in Lindl. Sort. Orchid., t. 18; Bot.
Reg. 1. c. D. Lindleyana, Gritf. Notul. Ill, 309 (excl. fig.); Lindl. in Journ. Linn.
Soc. HI, 13.
Silikim; ascending to 5,000 feet; Hooker and many collcctors, Pantling No, 362;
in flower during April and May. Westward to Nepal and eastward to Bhotan, the
Khasia tlills, Assam and Upper Burmah. Distrib. China.
A beautiful species, very common in Sikkim. The flowers vary both in size and
shade of colom-; but in Sikkim the sepals and petals are always purple, shading off into
white at the base. The lip has a central blotch of very deep purple, surrounded by a
broad margin of pale yellow or white; the anther is purple and the column green with
vertical purple lines in front. Plants have been observed of which the stems elongated
annually and produced flowers four years in succession.
PLATE ll.^Demlrohmni nohile, Lindl. Part of a flowering plant of natural size, and a whole plant
much reduced in size. Fig. 1 base of Up to show the short claw, 2 column with its foot and the
anther in situ, 3 anther, 4 pollinia; all enlarged.
18. DENDROBiDii PiERiKDi, Roxb. in Ilooker Exotic Flora, t. 9.
Stems slender, pendulous, slightly swollen at the nodes, 2 to 4 feet long, smooth.
Leaves sessile, rather thick, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, sub-acurainate, caducous,
length 2 to 4 in., breadth 1 to 1-5 in. Flowers 1-25 to 1-75 in. across, solitary or
two or three from very short minutely bracteate peduncles springing from the slightly
swollen nodes of the leafless stems. Sepals subequal, oblong-lanceolate, sub-acutC'
Petals much broader than the sepals but not longer, elliptic, blunt. Lip sub-orbicular
(when spread out), with a very short claw but without side lobes; the edges eroso
near the base, shortly ciliate on the anterior half, the upper surface pubescent, convolute
to form a tube with a wide circular shell-like open mouth. Column and its foot
about equal in length; the latter with a transversely elliptic nectary at its extremity.
Anther with a curved erose lip. Capsule clavate, cylinJric, 2 in. long. Roxb. Fl. Ind.
ANN. EOY. BOT. GARD., C.\LCUTTA, YOL. YIII.