llib OBCHIDS OF TirE SIKEUtniilALAYA.
tho lip blotched with red rather than with brown. In fig. 2719 of the same work, the
prevailiug colour of tho sopals and petals is shown as gi-eoii rather than red. Loddigcs'
figure shows the scpiils and petals as of a pale prioiroso, the lip of bright yellow.
PuTE 119.—Phajus luacuJaius, Liudl. Pseudo-bulbs, luaf ami part of scapa; of naitirnl sisi. Pig. 1
lip find ovary, 2 upper part of tke ooluuin sliowiiig tho stigma aud the anther !» silii, 3 empty anther
seen from below, 4 poUiuia, 5 side view of the polliuia; all enlarged, 6 capsule; of natural size.
3. PiiAjos WALLicnir, Lindl, in Wall. PI. Eai-. II, 46, t. 158.
Pseudo-hulbs conical, beaiing three or fom- annular cicatrices and sonaetimcs also one or
two sheaths. Stem stout, 2 to 3-5 feet high, and from -5 to 'To in. tliick. Leaves thickly
membranou«, clliptic-lanccolate, acute, tapering to tho petiole, 12 to 24 in. long aud 2"3
to 8 in. broad. Scapes from the side of the pse\ido-bulb, 2 to 4 feet long, with several
tubular sheaths I'D to 3 in. long; the raccma from 8 to 24 in., many-flowered. Flowers 4
to 0 in. across; large, cymbiform, slightly longer than tlio stalked ovary, caducous.
Sepals and peiah sub-equal, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, spreading. Lip shorter than
the sepals and petals, its lower part tubular and ending in a narrow c\u-ved spur -5 to
•75 in. in length; its anterior part deflexed, couchiform, more or less ovate, dilated,
acute or acuminate, sometimes apiculate, the margins orose-undulate, the upper surface
corrugated. Column erect, glabrous. FolUnia 8, dimidiately ovate, somewhat compressed,
united by fours to two membranes. Capsule uairowly obovoid, stoutly ribbed, 3 in.
long and 1-Ö in. in diam. Lindl. Gen. and Spec. Orch. 126.; Lindl, in Bot. Reg. Misc.,
44; Keichb. fil. in "Walp. Ann. VI, 4.>9; Past. Hag. Bot., t. 193; Bot. Mag., 7023;
Hook. fil. Fl. Br. Ind. V, 816 (in part). P. hicohr, Lindl. Gen. and Spec. Orch. 128;
Sertum Orch., t. 23; in Bot. Reg., 1839, Misc. 61; Bot. Mag., t. 4078. Wight Ic. t.
1Ü59—ßO; Thwaitcs Enum. PI. Ceyl., 300; Blume Mus. Bot. Ludg. Bat. II, 178; Walp.
Ann. VI, 458. F. grandifoUus, Lindl, in Wall. Cat., 3747 {not of loureiro).
Sikkim, in tropical valleys and at the base of the range; many collectors; Pantling
No. 120. Assam, Sylhet, Khasia Hills, Burma, Ceylon, also in tho Malay Archipelago.
In Wallich's original figure of this species the s^jpals and petals are bufl;, and the
, white vith yellow on the disc and externally, ami also with slight touches
of ])ink. Tiie Silddm plant here figured has darker sepals and petals, warm brown on
tho inner and white on the outer surface, whilo the lip is pale purple passing into white
on the edges and into yellow in the tube.
PI,ATE IbQ.—TJwjus WalUehii, Lindl Pseudo-bulbs, part of a racemo and copsulo, of naiunl size.
Fig. 1 section through upper part of column, anther aad spur, 2 empty anther, lower surfaos, 3 and 4
pollinia; all enlarged.
4. Pnijus Blumef, Liudl. Gen. and Spec. Orch., 127, var. pulchra.
The characters of P. WanicMi, but the spur not exceeding -25 in. in length, the
mouth of the lip contracted and trilobulate, and the capsule ellipsoid and only 2-5 in.
in length; inflorescence rather lax. Blume Orch. Archip. Ind. 2, t. 1; De Vriose
Jllustr. Orch. Archip. Ind., t. 8; Regel, Garten-flora, XIV, t. 464. P. Dlumei, var.
linucijsu, Hook. fil. m Bot. Mag., t. 6032; var. Assamica, Reichb. fil. in Gard. Chron. for
PHAJUS. 109
1S82, I, p.
TaukervilUw,
Sikkini.
Panthng N.
558. P. WalHchii, Hook. fil. FI. Br. Ind. V, 816 {in part). ? Lnnodorum
Roxb. Fl. Ind. Ill, 466 (not of Aiton).
in similar situations to P. WaUichii; in flower during Marcli and April;
IS9. Kamroop and Luckinipur in Assam; Clarke, Mann, Watt. Khasia
Hills; Gallatly. Bimna; Grifllth (Kew Distrib.), Ko. 5293.
There has been some confusion and uncertainty about the limits of tho two closely
allied species P. Walliehii and P. Blumei, much of which has doubtless arisen from
reliance being placed on the colour of the flower as a means of separating tho species.
The tendency has been to refer individuals with pale-coloured flowers to P. Blumei, and
those with dark-coloured flowers to P. Wallickn. Mr. Pantling has had for some time
a number of plants of both, of local origin, m cultivation at the Government Cincbona
Plantation, and the conduct of one of these during the present year has completely
broken down our faith in colour as a means of separating the two. The plant refen-ed
(o used to produce flowers with the long spur and dilated ovate-rotund acuminate
lip which -we huve above given as characteristic of P. Wallichii. Hitherto the colouration
of these has been as fallows; sepals and petals warm brown on the inner surface,
white or nearly so on tho outer; lip with a pale purple mouth becoming paler
toward.s the whito margin, the tube being yellow. Tho shade of purple on the lip has
in former years been observed to vary in intensity, and the palest coloured lips have
usually been the widest; the very dark coloured lips being smaller in every way.
This has hitherto been tho limit of variation. But during the present year there
appeared on the clu.np in question two racemes, the flowers on which had dull yellow
sopals and petals and a pale yellow Hp, the yellow shading into whito at the
margins. But tliese pale flowers had spur and lip of exactly tho same shape as those
on tlic other racemes which produced flowers of the normal colour. No change in
structure accompanied the change in colour. We have on the strength of this
experience, as well as from the examination of large suites of specimens, both living
and dried, been driven to the conclusion that the foi
of tho spur and lip are the
only reliable characters to separate tho two. Both s
:ie3 appear to have tho same
distribution. The Sikkim plant, -which wo have here figui-ecl as P. Blumei, has a more
condensed raceme, larger flowers and smaller capsules than typical P. Blumei, and may
be separated as a variety under tho name pulclira. Two varieties of P. B/umei have
been founded on the colour of their flowers. One from North Australia, -which has been
named variety Bermi/m, Ims Sowers of ii Bulplmr yelloiv coloar, tbe outer surface of
seimls and petals being pure irldte; and closely allied to that is anollrct dcscribcd by
Keiohenbacli filiia (in Gardener's Cbton. for 1882, I, p. 558), as P. Bliimd, Tar. jiimmiia,
which has "yellowish flowers with a Kght yellow lip bordered with white."
Plate m—rknjm Blami, Lin^il- iMkh's, King aud Pnntling. Pseudo-bulb, base of stem
„>d mteme; of miml si«. Kg- 1 Kp. 2 Hp seen from above, 3 eolumn .nd spur, 4 emplj anther, 5
polliuin G side view of a group of four pMlliuia, 7 a fruit; iYos. I, á and 7 aye of nalunil srse, ilts
oil,in 'un «»to'jirf. An entire plant, imi rod,ad m
5. rii.uos msnimssia, Eciehh. fil. in Bonplandia V, 43,
Stems 3 to 4 feet high and -5 to '75 in. thick, swolleir at the very base but hardly
pseudo-bulbous, naked below or bearing at the nodes the fibres of decayed sheaths;
nboTo with sis to eight stoutly membranous, many-nerved, plicate, elliptic-lanccolate,
íteute leaves, narrowed at the base to a sheathmg petiole; length 7 to 13 in., breadth 3