MR. H. N. RIDLEY ON THE GENUS BROMHEADIA. 331 
The øde 
By H. N. Rmsfr, M.A., F.L.S. 
[Read 4th December, 1890.] 
(Pate XLII.) 
THE small genus Bromheadia is one whose relationship seems 
still rather obscure. It is generally relegated to the neighbour- 
hood of Cymbidium and Polystachya, but it stands alone without 
any definite affinities with these or any other genus. Although 
one species has lorg been known in collections, and even cultivated 
in England, many points about it are still obscure. Thus in 
Bentham and Hooker’s ‘ Genera Plantarum’ there is a query 
as to its being terrestrial, and the fruit of no species has been 
described. I have met with four species in Singapore, have cul- 
tivated them for some timein the Botanic Gardens, and propose 
herewith to describe them, adding notes on their habitats, &e. 
The commonest and best known species is B. palustris, Lindl., 
most inaptly so named, as it prefers hot sunny places as its 
habitat. It is the finest and most ornamental plant in the genus, 
a stiff plant from one to six feet in height, with spreading 
distichous leaves rather distant below and gradually passing 
into sheaths at the top of the otherwise bare stem, where it has 
also a tendency to branch. The raceme is flexuous, usually quite 
short, with cup-like bracts. The flowers open singly, more rarely 
two are open at once on the flower-spike ; they are large and 
conspicuous and very sweetly scented, opening in the early 
morning and closing very soon. This habit is very characteristic 
of the genus. They are visited by the common carpenter bee 
(Xylocopa sp.) and are often fertilized. The sepals are acutely 
lanceolate and keeled, pure white or tinged with pink. The 
petals are broader, shorter, and pure white. The lip is thrce- 
lobed, the lateral lobes erect, oblong, rounded, white, veined with 
violet-pink, the middle lobe longer. 
The fruit of all the species is very similar—a straight, almost 
cylindrical capsule, sessile, about an inch and a half long, erect, 
crowned with the remains of the perianth. The ribs are unequal, 
the sterile ones narrower than the fertile ones, raised, with grooves 
between each, and rounded backs. The fruit of B aporoides I 
have not seen. 
LINN. JOURN.— BOTANY, VOL. XXVIII. 2E 
