1 0 8 OPHKYDE^.
Flowers spreading, crowded, about 10 mm. across, floral bract 5 mm. long, broadly
lanceolate, acuminate, a little shorter than the ovary. SepaU sub-erect, 07ate-oblong,
acutc, green. Petals and lip white^ slightly tinged with green. Peials as long as
the sepals, linear-lanceolate, diveraent. Lip longer than the petals, tiifid, deflexed
from near its base, the margins reflcxed; lower portion very thick and with a small
concavity at the base; mldlobe lanceolate, obtuse, nearly as long as the curved
filiform side lobes. Anl]iar-cd(s parallel, p'jllinia obovate-ellipsoid, caudiclcs very short
glands discoid, reddish-brown, seated on the diverging arms of the bran((hed_ rostellam.
Staminodes largs, spreading. Styjmxs 2, lying beneath the rostellum, obovate, obliquely
converging downwards and towards the concavity of the Hp. Ovary about 6 mm. long
ovate-oblong, beaked. B. laxiflorum Lindl. in Herb.
Near Mussoorie at an elevation of about 6,500 feet, found growing on oak
trees, but very rare, Mackinnon (Dathie's Nos. 22993, 2:542l). Flowei-s in August.
Discovered previously by Sir Joseph Hooker at Senchal in Sikkim at an elevation
of 7,000 feet (No, 279).
A very distinct species, its nearest Indian ally being M. angustifoUum, wKioh it rather closely
teeembles when dried; in fact, it was amongst the speoimens of the latter at Eew that a single
apeoiman o£ Hooker's Senchal plant was detected, in Lindley's Orcliid herbariam are two other
speoimens iiom the same gathering, In the Kew collection of drawings there is a coloured oae of
this Senohal plant received from the Calcutta gardens ia 1876. It agrees in all essential particulars
with the plate here given of S. Muckimtoni. It is smaller and altogether a more delicate plant
than H. anguUifoUum, with fewer shorter and broader leaves; the flowering spike also is shorter and
broader, the petals and lip are white, and the midbhe is much longer. The shape of the ovary
is also very different,
F l a t k 149. Herminium Mackinnoni Duthie. A plant,—of natural sise. Fig. 1, front
view of flower, with the sepals removed; 2, side view of flower; 3, front view of
column, with lower portion of lip attached; 4, ditto, seen more from below; 5, pollinia;
—all enlarged.
4. Heeminidm congestum Lindl. in "Wall. Cat. No. 7068.
Plant 1 to 2 dm. high. Ttt^er sub-globose, hairy. Lower portion of stem clothed
with one or two short wide sheaths. Leaves two or three, near the base of the stem,
3-7 to 10 cm. long, narrowly oblong-elliptic or oblanceolate, sub-acute or obtuse.
Peduncle stout, naked, or with a single linear or leaf-like bract. /Sjut'/ie rather narrow,
5 to 10 cm. long, many- and densely-flowered. Floioers green, minute, decarved;
floral hract ovate, acute, much shorter than the beaked ovary. Sepals sub-equal, obtuse,
the dorsal broadly ovate; lateral pair narrower, slightly spreading, oblong and acute.
Petals a little longer than the sepals, obliquely lanceolate, acute. Lip longer than
the sepals, fleshy, triangularly ovate-lanceolate, obtiise; side Icbes very narrow, cranulate,
apical lobe entire; upper surface vrith two small calli at the base: snur saccate,
sub-globose. Anther-cclls diverging towards the base; pollinia sub-globose, caudicles
very short, attached obliquely to the born-like glands. Staminodes elongate, tapering
at the ends. Stigmas two, placed behind the caudicles of the pollinia and above the
entrance to the spur. Lindl. Gen. and Sp. Orch. 305; in Journ. Linn. Soc. iii, 43 ;
Hook. f. Fl. Br. Ind. vi. 130; King & Pantling in Ann. R. Bot. Gard. Calc.
H EE MINIUM. 199
viii, 335, t. 440; Krnzl. Orch. Gen. and Sp. i, 930. II. tinalasaheense Reichb.
f. Ic. Fl. Germ, xiii, 107, t. 417. M. Schiselmarefiana Chamiss. in Linnasa iii, 29.
Platanthera SeUschnareffiana Lindl. Gen. and Sp. Orch. 286. iieottia macrophylla Don.
Prod. 27. Spiranilm macrophjlla and unalasclicengis Spreng. Syst. iii. 708. •
Tishung Pass in the Astor District of Baltistan, J. E. Winierlottom No. 742,
Ralam Valley in Kumaon between 8,000 and 9,000 feet, Duthie's eollector No. 24103.
Flowers during July and August. It extends eastwards to Nepal and Sikkim, and is
found also in the Aleutian Lslands.
5. IIILRSIINIOTI Duthiei Hook. f. Ic. PL 2199A; Fl. Br. Ind. vi, 130.
Whole plant 1 to 2-5 dm. Tuhers ellipsoid. Lower portion of stem bearing a single
very loose sheath. Leaves two or three, from below the middle of the stem, 5 to 12'?
cm. long, linear or oblanceolate, acuminate. Seape overtopping the leaves, rather stoi^t
curved, naked. Spike 5 to 10 cm., sub-secund, many-flowered. Flowers deflexed, pale
<n-een, 4 mm. in diam.; floral Iract much shorter than the curved and beaked ovary
%fals obtuse, dorsal broadly oblong, the lateral pair smaller sub-falcate. Petals ovata
to ovate-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, fleshy. Lip as long as the sepals, triangular or
orbicular-ovate, entire, obtuse or sub-acute, with a small globose saccate spiu- at the basi>.
Upper surface with two small elliptic c?illi near the base. Anther oblong, the cells
parallel; pollinia sub-globose, caudicles short, slender, inserted within the conical truncate
horn-like glands. Staminodes large, spreading. Stigmauc processes large, clavate;
rostellum erect, subulate. Krnzl. Orch. Gen. and Sp. i, 535.
Western Himalaya 8,000 to 12,000 feet, T. Thomson; Laka, Edgeworth; Garhw^l,
King; Badrinath, Herb. Saharanpur; Kuari Pass in British Garhwal 11,000 to 12,000
feet, Duthie No. 4424; Ralam Valley in Kumaon 8,000 to 9,000 feet, Duthie No. 8413;
Kali Valley above Budhi 10,000 to 11,000 feet, DtUhie No. 6001, 24104; Gori Valley,
Duthie's eollector No. 24105. Flowers during August and September.
pLATiii 147. Herminium Duthiei Jlook. / . A plant,—of natural sise. Fig. 1, side view
of flower; 2, ditto, with the sepals removed; 3, column, with lip attached; 4, f
seen from above and with the sepals removed; 0, pollinia;—all enlarged.
6. Herminium pugioniforme Lindl. MSS. ex. Hook. f. Fl. Br. Lid. vi, 180.
Height of whole plant 5 to 17-5 cm. Tuler small, globose. Stem vrith one or two
loose sheaths at the base. Leaf solitary, sub-radical, shorter than the scape, 2 to 6 cm.
long, oblong to linear-lanceolate, rounded or sub-acute at the apex. Seape naked, firm
and rather stout towards the base. Spike 1 to 5 cm. long, laxly flowered. Flowers
minute, few, sub-ercct, green; floral Iract sub-orbicular, much shorter than the ovary.
Dorsal sepal orbicular, forming with the petals a hood over the column; lateral pair very
broad, obtuse. Petals smaller, concave, the edges crenulate. Lip as long as the lateral
sepals, fleshy, base dilated and with two deep oval pits, anterior portion dagger-shaped.
Anther-cells divergent towards their bases, the tubes spreading, pollinia obliquely elliptic,
caudicles obscure, glands elliptic. Staminodes oblong, obtuse. Stigmas united. King &
Pantling in Ann. R. Bot. Gard. Calc. viii, 333, t. 437; Krnzl. Orch. Gen. and
Sp. i, 634.