Senegambia, and there appear to be several species, some of 
which flower with the leaves, others not. M. Gerard, the 
discoverer of the Natal species, describes the flowers as uni- 
sexual. Our drawing was taken from living plants sent by 
Dr. Kirk from the coast opposite Zanzibar, in 1871, and 
which flowered in the Royal Gardens in May of this year. 
Duscr. Roots of tuberous fibres emitted from a fleshy stock. 
Stem short, three to four inches high, formed of the sheathing 
petioles of the leaves, surrounded by a few erect green acute 
sheaths. Leaves distichous, six to eight inches long by three 
to three and a half broad, elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, acumi- 
nate, with eight to ten oblique nerves, and narrow translucent 
margins, deep. green above, paler beneath. Scape three to 
four inches long, appearing with the leaves, slender, erect, 
with two to three long subacute tubular green sheaths, and 
a many-flowered conical inflorescence. of boat-shaped green 
bracts half an inch long. Flowers two to two and a half 
inches across the lip. Outer perianth tubular-campanulate, 
truncate, with three remote teeth. Inner perianth 2-seriate, 
three outer petals oblong-lanceolate, acute, subequal, connate 
into a short tube at the base, white; three inner connate into 
a broad rounded expanded 3-lobed lip, split to the base next 
the axis, connate below to the filament, pale rose-purple, with 
a bifid golden spot opposite the anther, mid-lobe notched. 
Filament short, broad ; connective expanded and tumid, very 
much broader than the anther-cells, and produced above into 
an oblong recurved membrane, rounded at the tip. Ovary 
glabrous, crowned by two small conical obtuse staminodes. 
Style very slender, stigma flabellate.—J. D. H. 
Fig. 1, Flower with lip removed; 2, ovary, staminodes, and base of 
style :—both magnified. 
