3G0 MR. G. BENTHAM OS CTPERACE^I. 



the labellum very little different from the petals has been pub- 

 lished as a genus by Lindley under the name of Uropedium ; but 

 it so closely resembles in every other respect the Selenipedium 

 caudatum, that Blume and others have suggested that it may be an 

 abnormal peloria state of that plant analogous to the Paxtonia 

 and Arayrorchis above referred to. 



Apostasia, Blume, about four species from the Tndo- Australian 

 region, was long believed to be the type of a distinct natural 

 order, differing from C 'ypripedium not only in the labellum, but in 

 the perfectly three-celled ovary and capsule. Since, however, 

 the latter character has been found to be repeated in Selenipe- 

 dium, and the habit nearly the same as that of two species of the 

 latter genus, Apostasia must be placed beside it, differing indeed 

 only in the labellum being normally similar to the petals, and in 

 geographical distribution. The dorsal sterile anther is usually 

 narrow instead of being shield-shaped, and in one species is 

 entirely deficient. 



Neuwiedia, Blume, three Malayan species, is in many respects 

 very near Apostasia ; but, besides a few other minor characters, 

 the dorsal anther is perfect as well as the two lateral ones. The 

 flowers are usually small, in a dense simple spike. In both 

 Apostasia and Neuwiedia the rostellum or style is much more! 

 elongated than is usual in Cypripedium and Selenipedium, but 

 yet it is quite homologous in the four genera. 



Notes on Cyperaceae; with special reference to Lestiboudois's 

 " Essai " on Beauvois's Genera. By George Benth.^i, 

 F.K.S. 



[Head February 3, 1881.] 



When Palisot de Beauvois published his ' Agrostographie ' he 

 intended following it up by a second volume on the Cyperaceae; 

 but circumstances, we are told, prevented his carrying out his 

 project, and he handed over his manuscript to Lestiboudois, who, 

 it appears, worked it up into the paper entitled " Essai sur 

 la famille des Cyperaeees," published in Paris in 1819. In this 

 paper a considerable number of new genera are proposed, with 

 short technical characters often wholly insufficient for their iden- 

 tification, but sometimes accompanied by a note of the species on 



