ajite anthesin in spicam subcylindricam imhricatcB , persistenteSy injimcd 

 paucce abortivcB. Perianthium ringens, hilahiatuniy pentaphyllum^ mem- 

 branaceum ; foliola distincta ; exteriorum alteruyn ovatum^ acutum, forni- 

 catiim, cum interiorihus falcatis occultis in galeam posticam connivenSy 

 altera parum majorat dissimilia, prismatico- scaphoidea ^ marginibus inte- 

 rioribus parallelism dorso gibboso-carinafay labello supposita, cumque illo 

 labium inferius efficientia. Labellum sessile, cucullato-ventricosum, subin- 

 clusum, basi semicirculari columns hand product ce accretuMyOre truncatumy 



fundo 



lamina brevissim^ unguiculata^ re- 



curvatUy biloba, lobis semicordatisy obtusis, crenulatis. Columna medio car^ 

 nosa {elevata), lateribus apiceque marginata membranula latiusculd, scuti^ 



/ 



'/^ 



adnata^ biloculariSy loculis prominulis bivalvibus, valvulis inferioribus 

 minoribus. Massge pollinis ovatce^' cereacece^ postich sulculo notatcBy in 

 singulo loculo geminata, pedicellis propriis apice convexis. Stigma ad 

 apicem columntB, horizontale, vertice valvatum^ demum clausum. Wal- 



lich MSS. 



r 

 ■ji 



The preceding elaborate, and most excellent descrip- 

 tion, made from plants observed in India, has been kindly 

 communicated to us by our valued friend Dr. Wallich, by 

 whom an account of this and a second species was long 

 ago prepared for publication. At that time he proposed to 

 refer them to Ornithidium, remarking, however, at the 



same time, that certain peculiarities of structure, which 

 had not escaped his accurate observation, " would perhaps 

 require the plant to be formed into a new genus." . 



This measure we had ourselves adopted, so long since 

 as 1824, and having communicated the name now retained 

 to Dr. Hooker, the species was published in the Exotic 

 Flora, in January 1825 ; but at that time no knowledge 

 was possessed in this country of Dr. Wallich's MS. name. 

 The genus Ornithidium, to which Pholidota is undoubt- 

 edly very nearly allied, is distinguished by its labellum 

 being partially connate with the column, by the column 

 being taper, not round, by the anther having only two 

 valves, and by its pollen masses being fixed upon a gland. 

 In this last point the figure in the Ed-otic Flora of Or- 

 nithidium coccineum, otherwise excellent, is defective, the 

 pollen masses being there represented as lying loose in 

 the cells of the anther; and, therefore, as having the struc- 

 ture of Malaxideae, instead of that of Vandeae. 



A native of several parts of India. Dr. Wallich 

 informs us, that he has found it on the mountains west 

 of Ava, also high up the rivers in Martaban, and on the 



«, 



