42 



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EPIDENDRUM raniferum. 



jFro<7 Epidendrum. 





m * 



GYNANDRIA MONANDRIA. 



Nat. ord. Orchidaceje, § Epidendrejb. 



EPIDENDRUM, § Spathium. Caulis foliosus erectus. Pedunculus 

 elongatus e spatha erumpens. Labellum adnatum. Lindl. in Hooker's Jour- 

 nal, 3. 85. 



E. raniferum ; (L. no. 64.) foliis distichis lanceolatis, racemis terminalibus 

 lateralibusque divaricatis multifloris, sepalis ligulatis convexis obtusis 

 petalisque Knearibus cuneatis mucronulatis patentissimis, labelli sexlobi 

 basi 3-callosi laciniis integerrimis dentatisque : posticis rotundatis — in- 

 termediis linearibus — anticis linearibus obtusis retrorsum falcatis 



* 



Although a good deal like E. nutans, this species is 

 really very distinct, and indeed far handsomer : in conse- 

 quence of the rich purplish brown spots with which the sepals 

 and petals are profusely decorated. It was originally described 

 from bad dried specimens from Mexico, in Mr. Lambert's 

 Herbarium, labelled Ophrys tigrina. Within a few years it 

 has appeared in several collections of Mexican Orchidacese ; 

 the specimen now figured was supplied by Geo. Barker, Esq. 

 of Birmingham. 



Like so many of the order this species varies a good deal 

 in the amount of toothing observable in its lip. In the or 

 nal specimens the divisions were perfectly entire; in 

 accompanying drawing they are represented as if they were 

 all toothed. In a cultivated plant, now before me, they are 

 both the one and the other. 



The tubercles at the base of the lip are really three in 

 number, not two as was at first supposed by me ; but the 

 middle one is much smaller, and is hidden by the other two. 



The species is not exclusively from Mexico. 1 have it 



