ME. G. BENTHAM ON OECHIDE^. 327 



and some other characters. CocJilioda, Lindl., about six species, 

 is a very natural genus, with the perianth of an Epidendrum, but 

 with the anther and pollinarium as well as the habit of the sub- 

 tribe Oncidieae. I am at a loss to understand upon what grounds 

 Reichenbach has referred it to his genus Mesospinidium, founded 

 upon one of the paniculate small-flowered species of Odonto- 

 glossum. Dignatlie, Lindl., is a Mexican plant, represented by a 

 single specimen in herb. Lindl., the structure of the flower only 

 known from his sketches and description, and requiring some 

 further investigation. 



Series 3. Perianthii tubus supra ovarium ovoideus v. glolosus, 

 apice clausus. — Two curious and apparently very distinct genera — 

 Saundersia, a single Brazilian species, only known to me from 

 Beichenbach's figure and description, and Brachtia, Beichb. f. 

 (Oncodia, Lindl.), three Columbian species. 



Series 4. Labellum liberum, [ecalcaratum. Caulis scepissime 

 pseudobulbo \-foliato terminatus. Fifteen genera, of which tern. 

 Odontoglossum, Oncidium, Miltonia, Brassia, Solenidium, Leio- 

 chilus, Sigmatostalioc, JErycina, Gomesa, and Abola, have the sepals 

 all, or at least the lateral ones, spreading ; and five, JVeodrgas, 

 Trizeuxis, Ada, Sutrina, and Trigonidium, have them erect, at 

 least at the base, or united into a tube. A very few species of 

 Oncidium itself appear not to form the pseudobulb otherwise 

 universal in the series. 



Odontoglossum, H. B. & K., is now supposed to have above 

 eighty known species, a large number of which have been well 

 illustrated in our horticultural publications, and especially in 

 Bateman's splendid monograph. The genus is upon the whole a 

 natural one, though sometimes very difficult technically to sepa- 

 rate from Oncidium, and occasionally thrown into confusion by 

 the introduction of species which do not correspond to the 

 generic character. Thus O. roseum, Lindl., is a Cochlioda ; 

 O. vexillare, Beichb. f., has rather the character of Miltonia, &c. 

 No satisfactory subdivision of the genus has yet been carried 

 out. Lindley proposed six sections, founded sometimes on the 

 form of the clinandrium, sometimes on the colour of the flower ; 

 but the clinandrium varies in its development and lobes from 

 species to species, and Lindley's sections have proved neither 

 natural nor well defined. The most distinct-looking is perhaps 

 MyantMum, consisting of a few species, with large panicles 

 of numerous small flowers ; but 1 have been unable to point 



LINN. JOURN. — BOTANT, VOL. XVIII. 2 B 



