Tab. 5391. 



ERIA OBESA. 



Thick-stemmed Eria. 



Nat. Ord. Orchide.e. — Gynandria Monandria. 



Gen. Char. Sepala semipatentia v. clausa, insequalia, extus lanata v. glabra, 

 lateralibus basi valde obliquis, cum pede columnse connatis calcar aamulantibus. 

 Petala sepalo superiori sequalia v. minora. Labellum cum basi producta, columnse 

 articulatum, trilobum, raro subintegrum, cucullatum, disco calloso v. cristate 

 Columna basi longe producta. Jnthera terminalis, bilocularis, loculis obsolete 

 4-locellatis. Pollinia 8, nunc omnino libero, nunc materie elastica glandulam 

 mentiente cohasrentia. — Herbse in arboribus crescentes ; caulibus carnosk," vagi- 

 nalis, cicatricibus foliorum notatis. Folia scepius plicata. Racemi simplices, 

 erecti, bracteis sapius dilatatis. Flores nunc conspicui. Lindl. 



Ekia obesa; foliis (terminalibus binis lineari-lanceolatis acuminatis striatim 

 venosis), caulibus crassis ovalibus, sepalis petalisque lanceolatis acutis sub- 

 glabris, labelli trilobi ecallosi lobis lateralibus obsoletis rotundatis, inter- 

 medio ovali retuso, racemis paucifloris pubescentibus, bracteis ovato-lanceo- 

 latis pedicello capsularum longissimarum vix sequalibus. Lindl. 



Eria obesa. Lindl. in Wall. Cat. n. 1976. Gen. et Sp. Orchid, p. 68 ; and in 

 Lot. Reg. 1844, tinder t. 29. Reichenb. fil. in Walp. Annal. Bot. v. 6. 



p. 277. 



Of this now really extensive Indian genus fifty-two species are 

 enumerated by Reichenbach, fil., in Walpers's ' Annales Botanices,' 

 above quoted ; — the present species among them, which, if not 

 among the most showy of them, is a very neat and pretty one, 

 and was discovered at Martaban by Dr. Wallich, afterwards at 

 Moulmeine and Mergui by Griffith. Our specimens here figured 

 were communicated by the Rev. C. S. P. Parish, Moulmeine, to 

 the Royal Gardens in 1859, and they flowered in a warm stove 

 there in February, 1863. Lindley's specific character well ac- 

 cords with our plant; but in a note he says the pseudobulbs 

 are about twenty-seven inches long, much smaller than any of 

 ours, but ours may in time become thus elongated. 



Descr. Stems or pseudobulbs, in our plant two to three inches 

 long, and one inch broad in the thickest part, oblong oval, taper- 

 july 1st, 1863. 



