18 



PERISTERIA Humboldti. 

 Humboldt's Peristeria. 



GYNANDRIA MONANDRIA. 



Nat. ord. Orchidace/e, § Vande^b. Div. Maxillaridjj. 

 PERISTERU. Botanical Register, vol. 23. fol. 1953. 



P. Humboldti; racemo elongato pendulo multifloro, calyce patulo, sepali» 

 • oblongis concavis obtusis, petalis rhombeis obtusis planis minoribus, 

 labelli inflexi hypochilio carnoso bblongo concavo, raetachilio bilobo 

 laciniis erectis cuneatis carnosis margine inferiore valde incrassato medio 

 appendice biloba carnosa divaricate utrinque bidentata aucto, epichilio 

 unguiculato canaliculato apice dilatato truncato, columna utrinque in 

 marginem rotundatum alatum producta, stigmate et columns; dorso 

 villosis, caudicula. lineari, glandula lunata. 



Anguloa superba. Humboldt, Bon.pl and §• Kunth, nov. gen. fy *P- P^ k 343. 

 t. 93. Lindl. Gen. fy Sp. Orch. p. 160. 



For this noble plant, which has a pendulous raceme a 

 couple of feet long, we are indebted to John Wilmore, Esq., 

 of Oldford, near Birmingham, who imported it from Porto 

 Cabullo, in the province of Venezuela, about three years 

 since. It flowered for the first time in March, 1842, and in 

 April was exhibited to the Horticultural Society where it was 

 distinguished by a silver medal. In many respects it has the 

 habit of Peristeria Barkeri, but the leaves have longer foot- 

 stalks. 



When the genus Peristeria was founded nobody suspected 

 that the long sought Anguloa superba of Humboldt could 

 belong to it ; still less did we imagine, when this noble spe- 

 cies was sent from Birmingham, that it could be the very 

 same. Nevertheless, upon attentively considering Hum- 

 boldt's figure, no doubt can be entertained of the fact; or that 

 Anguloa superba is nothing more than this Peristeria with 

 the raceme made to grow erect instead of pendulous. The 

 plant of that great traveller is described as an inhabitant of 



April, 1843. h 



