Tas. 4980. 
~COMPARETTIA raucara. 
Sickle-leaved Comparetta. 
Nat. Ord. Oncu1pEm.—GyYNANDRIA MoNoGYNIA. 
Gen. Char. Perianthium ringens. Sepalum intermedium et petala nana, li- 
bera, subgaleata; lateralia in unum connata calcaratum labello suppositum. La- 
bellum liberum, explanatum, obcordatum, unguiculatum, basi calearibus duobus 
intra sepalorum calcar absconditis. Columna libera, erecta, mutica. Pollinia 
2, postice foveata, caudicule cuneate rostrate adnata.—Herbe epiphyte, pseudo- 
bulbose ; racemis terminalibus. Lindl. 
Comparettta falcata ; foliis lanceolatis subfaleatis apice obliquis acutis, labello 
obcordato subrepando basi non lamellato, calcaribus subulatis nudis, co- 
lumna medio sub stigmate mutico. 
Comparertia faleata. Popp. et Endl. Nov. Gen. et Sp. v. 1. p.42. Lindl. Or- 
chid. Linden. p. 24. 
It is upon the present species, a native of trees in Peru, found 
between Cassapi and Pampayaco, that Drs. Poeppig and End- 
licher founded their curious genus Comparettia, after “Andreas 
Comparetti, a Professor at Padua, who first understood the real 
nature of spiral vessels, and who wrote with great skill on vege- 
table physiology.”” The genus is remarkable in the spurs of the 
flower. “ Nothing,” Dr. Lindley observes, “is more common than 
for Orchidacee to produce spurs from their sepals and labellum, 
but it is very unusual for the same organ to produce two spurs. 
Satyrium and Diplocentron were almost the only cases of this 
structure. Here, however, not only has the labellum two spurs, 
but they are hidden within the spur of the united pair of lateral 
sepals, so that they are not discovered till the latter is cut open. 
In this respect we find the same structure for Orchidace@ as we 
have in Aconitum among Ranunculacee.” 
To this species of Poeppig, the C. coccinea of Dr. Lindley 
~ may Ist, 1857. 
