T
iO-i ORCHIDS OP THE SIKKIxM-HIMALAYA.
Temperate Sikkim-Himalaya, at elevations of 10,000 to 12,000 foet, Sir J. D.
Hooker; at Poang-gaon 12,000 feet, Pautliug, No, 340; flowering diiriug August.
PLATB m.—Tipuhria Josopki, lioiclib. fil. A plant; of natural size. Fig, 1 a flower, 2 staikod
ovary, column and lip, seen from thé side, 3 colnmn, nud section of lip and it3 spar, cohimn,
from ciaic, showing the terminal anther, projecting pollinia and caudiole, stigma, base of column
with its forward projecting callus, and sections of tho side lolies and of Iht'ir inwavJ-proJeoting caili,
5 empty uuther, eceu from its paxftrior eiiil, 0 poOinia and caudide ; nil enlarged.
26. Monomeria, Lindl.
Epiphytal. Pseudo-bulbs on a stout rhizome, each bearing a shigle coriaceous
petiolato leaf. Scape from tho base of a pseudo-bulb, laxly racemose, horizontal. Flowers
rather large, ringcnt. Sepak unequal; tho dorsal pai-allel to tlie column, ovate, acuminate;
tho lateral pair far remored from the dorsal and much larger, attached near the middle
of the long curved naked foot of the column, coherent both at base and apex. Petals
minute, hi'oad but very short, fimbriate. Zip about as long as the dorsal sepal, jointed
on the foot of the column, mobile, panduiiform, witli two diverging honi-liko lobes
at tho base and two ercct lamellie on the disc. Cuhmn short, very broad, winged,
toothed at the apes, the foot long and much curvcd. Pollinia 4, unequal, cohering
into a Bub-globular mass and attached to a caudiclo ending in an ovoid-globose viscid
gland. Distrib. Two closely allied species—one from the Himalayan and Khasia Hills ;
the other from Bui-ma. The Bm'moso one may only, however, be a variety.
This geu\i3 oomhiiies the habit of Bulbophylhm and of Cirrhopctahm with the caudiculate pollinia
of Yandca. The broad very short fimbriate pelals are its chief distiuguisliing oharaoter.
MONOMEEIA BARBATA, Lindl. in Wall. Cat., 1S}78.
Rhizome woody, -Si) in. thick. Fsewh-hulbs, 3 to 3 in. apart, ovoid or elliptic,
shrivelled at flowering time, 1-5 to 3 in. long. Leaf oblong, with a blunt emarginate
apes, 7 to 12 in. long, and 1 to 1-25 in. broad ; petiole 2-5 to 3 in. Sca^
as long as tiro leaves, dark pui-ple, the sheaths with peduncle '35 to -5
Flowers -8 to 1 in. long, floral Iract short. Lateral sepals nearly twice as long as the
dorsal, conjoined and decurved at the apex, the margins re flexed, the upper surface
hispid in its outer half. Lip dcflexed from ahout the middle, the lamclls; of the disc
converging. Stigma with 2 glands on the lower margin. Caudide of pollinia brittle,
the gland ovoid-globose. Lindl. Gen. and Spec. Orchid, G1 ; Sert. Orcldd, frontispiece;
Hook. fll. n . Br. Ind. V, 781.
Sikkim, in tropical valleys; in flower during February; Pantling, No. 124. Nepal;
Wallich. Khasia IliUs; Eita.
The flowers are yellow with bold brown markings, the ovary is brown and the
pseudo-bulbs are tinged with the same coloiu'.
P u T E Monomeria barbata, Lindl. Plant, of natural size. Fig. I side view of a flower, 2 front
view of the same, S lip seen from the base, 4 pelals, 0 column, 6 anther, 7 and 8 pollinia; all
enlarged.
AGKOSTOrHYLLnM. ^
27. Acrochaene, Lindl.
Epiphytic; pseuJo-bulbs on a stout rhizome, each bearing a single linear-oblong
coriaceous petiolate leaf. Scape from the base of a pr,eudo-bulb, peuduloas; the raceme
long, lax, niaiiy-flowered. Flower rather small, t'ne floral Iract largo and persistent. Sepak
sub-equal, spreading, tho lateral pair obliquely aduato to the foot of the column. Petalu
shorter tlian the sepals, ciliate-firabriate, spieading. Lip with a short claw incumbent on
and articulated io the end of the long foot of the column, 3-lobod, the basal lobes erect
and broadly toothed at the apex; the apical lobe narrow, acute and deflexed. Cohmn
short, its foot long and straight. Anther broad, terminal, opercular, 2-cclled, rollinia
2, sub-globose, each cleft above and attached he\<jw to a stout caudide enlarged at the
base into a gland-like body.
A monospecific (?enus characterised by its saccate meutum, spreading iimbriate petals and two large
sub-globular cleft pollinia attached to a stout oaudicle which expinds at the oui into a depressed
globular swelling.
AcROCHyEKE PUNCTATA, Lindl. Fol. Orchid., 1.
Pseudo-bulh ovoid, 1 to I'O in. long about 1 in. opart, shrivelled when in flower and
with a dark brown coriaceous skin; the rhizome woody, -3 in. tliick. Leaf witli an oblong
obtuse emarginate blade 6 to 9 in. long and about 1-5 in. broad, tapered at the base into
a petiole 3 to 5 in. long. Scape pendulous, 9 to 1-5 in, long, the peduncle with several
broad bracts 'o to 1 in. long. Floivers glaucous, about 1 in. across; floral bract ovate-lanccolate,
'0 in. long, the stalked ovary '75 in. long. Dorsal s^pal olliptic-ovate, acute; tho
lateral pair falcately triangular, sub-acute, 7-nervcd, tho lower margin undulate and
slightly gibbous at the base. Petals nari-owly triangular, shorter than the dorsal sepal.
Lip with a short sigmoid claw; the side lobes erect, short, their apices blunt toothed
and pointing forward; apical lobe tongue-shaped, with a deep groove on its upper surface
extsnding from the base to the middle; lower margin of anther toothed. Tho foot twice
as long as the column and forming with the lateral sepals a sacc3.te nientum, Capsules
clavate, spotted, rather more than an inch hmg, those of the previous year dehiscing as
f i e Howers open. Roichb. fil. in Wulp. Ann. VI, 635. Bulbophyllam Kingii, Hook. iil.
Fl. Br. Ind. V, 7G0; Ic. Plantar., 3053.
Sikkim, at elevations of from 5,000 to 6,000 feet; Pantling, No. 25; in flower
during October and November.
The flowers are of a pale yellowish-green, dotted and streaked with purplishbrown.
PLATE im.—AcroclKEiie punctata, Lindl. A plant; of natural sise. Fig. 1 a flo-wer, front view,
2 column and its foot, anther in silu and lip, seen from the side, -3 lip, 4 column with anther
and foot, 5 anther, 6 pollinia, front and back views; all enlarg'ii, 7 capsules; of natural size.
28. AgrostDphyllum, Blume.
Epiphytes with sheathed compressed stems and no p^endo-bulbs. Leaves membranous,
distichous, linear, with large flattened persistent slieaths. Floioers very small, white,
single or in pairs on membranously sheathe! pedicels, crowded in dense small almost
sessile terminal heads. Sepals ercct, conniving, concave. Petals broad or nairow,
A.\S. ROY, BOT. GARD., CALCUTTA, TOL. TILL.