14 
* HUNTLEYA Meleagris. 
Speckled Huntleya. 
GYNANDRIA MONANDRIA. 
Nat. ord. OncHIDACER, $ VANDER. 
HUNTLEYA. Bot. Reg. fol. 1991 in textu. 
H. Meleagris ; sepalis petalisque ovatis acuminatis tessellatis, labello subcon- 
formi unguiculato concavo cristà baseos fimbriatá, columns cucullo crenato. 
Huntleya Meleagris. Bot. Reg. l. c. 1838. misc. no. 20. 
This is at present one of the rarest of the epiphytes in 
cultivation, the only specimen I have seen being that now 
figured, which flowered with Messrs. Rollissons in July, 1838. 
Its blossoms are much yellower and less tessellated with 
purple than in the Brazilian drawing from which the species 
was first described, and it is not improbable that it will be 
found to vary in this respect. The whole surface of the 
flowers had quite the appearance of being glazed. 
The following is M. Descourtilz's account of the plant, a 
little reduced from his manuscript in M. Delessert's copy. 
Rootstock as thick as the little finger, green, cylindrical, 
with white rootlets on the under-side. Leaves alternate, in 
two opposite rows, forming a very much compressed fan ; 
above they are bright green and smooth, beneath they are 
bluish green, with paler and projecting longitudinal veins. 
These leaves are a foot or more long, and about an inch 
wide ;. from the axil of the lowest of them rises a cylindrical 
pale green peduncle, with two opposite bracts near the 
middle. 
The flower is large, terminal, solitary, having five petals, 
broad at the base, with a white claw, and a claret-coloured 
ground on the inside, which is sometimes speckled with 
i 
* So called by Mr. Bateman, in compliment to the Rev. Mr. Huntley, a 
zealous collector of rare plants. 
