We have not succeeded in tracing this plant in any 
work within our reach. The Butterfly-plant of Santa 
Cruz, described by West, for wliich the ** Helleborine 
flore papilionaceo " of Plumier is quoted by authors, is 
a totally different plant from this. The name has doubt- 
less been suggested by the brilliant colours of the flower, 
its singular form, which may easily be likened to the 
wings, body, antennae, and tongue of a butterfly, and 
its fluttering motion when hanging from its stalk at the 
extremity of the wieak> elastic, jointed scape. 
Leaves oval, spreading, fleshy, seated upon a com- 
pressed, somewhat angular, solitary bulb, above spot- 
ted with interrupted fasciae, beneath dotted all over with 
very numerous purple [joints, with round, green spots 
among them. Scape from the root, 3 feet long, jointed, 
naked, the lower joints round, the upper 2 -edged, 3 or 4 
inches long, spotted with red at the edge and disk, and 
at the base having a scariose scale. Flowers spreading, 
5 inches across (in wild specimens) from the tip of the 
uj)per sej)al to the point of the labellum ; the upper sepals 
linear, spatulate, with long stalks, erect, dark orange, some- 
times interrupted With yellow ; the lower ovate-lanceolate, 
falcate, wavy, curled, the length of lip, and like it yellow 
clouded with orange. Lip fiddle-shaped, cordate at base, 
dilated and emarginate at end, wavy, glandular at base, 
the glands pale, variegated with purple, and representing 
the figure of a couchant frog. Column short, erect, with 
^pre^Ldipgy imged wings. 
