17 



which, however, so far as I have observed, are never fertilized j 

 and the stigmas are smaller than in the fertile plant, and not 

 papillose. In the other or fertile form, both the stamens and 

 the petals are in an abortive or rudimentary state, and being 

 shorter than the sepals, and concealed by them in dried speci- 

 mens, are readily overlooked ; the stigmas are large, truncate, 

 and papillose, and a portion of the ovules become fertile. 



15. American Quackery.— We had frequently been told 

 of an antidote to the bite of the Battle-snake and Copper-head 

 (not unfrequent throughout this region,) which is thought to 

 possess wonderful efficacy, called Turmaris Snake-root, after 

 an ' Indian Doctor/ who first employed it ; the plant was 

 brought to us by a man who was ready to attest its virtues 

 from his personal knowledge, and proved to be the .Silene 

 stellata ! Its use was suggested by the markings of the root 

 beneath the bark, in which these people find a fancied resem- 

 blance to the skin of the Rattlesnake. Nearly all the reputed 

 antidotes are equally inert ; such herbs as Impattens pallida, 

 &c. being sometimes employed; so that we are led to conclude 

 that the bite of these reptiles is seldom fatal, or even very 

 dangerous, in these cooler portions of the country. 



15. ONCIDIUM ensatum. 



O. ensatum ; pseudobulbis subrotund* ^^^^^Z^ 

 caries, panicnm onjr^^^Si subundulatis (oli- 



) 



tubcrculis 



nnlAtn f disco olivaceoj, crwwpu^w... ~ L 



eiongatisrrolum^ alU emargiDa.U utnnqae M ufs. 



A Guatemala plant with singular long *^%t*™£ 

 leaves Ind a panicle like that of O. altissimum. The flow er 

 ire ye C in L lip, and on the border «rf ^^pug,™ 

 olive brown in the middle of the lip and the face of the seg 

 ments " is a very fine looking plant, the panicle bang as 



m . u ' ilk. w W. The downv crest of the hp, with its 



muchaseightfeetlon 



£ n g tu^s^ms a more obvious: -^J***. £ 

 __?v:„„ „w .n thA flower. Messrs. Loddiges nave uiob 



thing else in the flower 

 somed it. 



r* 



