found by the late Dr. Meller on roots and trees on the 
Manganja range of mountains (Zambesi river), and another 
also found on the same range, which is in too imperfect a. 
state for description, making eight in all. 
M. purpuratum was described by Lindley from dried 
specimens collected in 1854, by Barter, near Brass, at the 
mouth of the Nun river, when accompanying Baikie’s Niger 
Expedition; the specimen here figured, flowered in the 
garden of T. B. Horsfall, Esq., MP., Bellamour Hall, Rugeley. 
Drscr. Rhizome as thick as a goose-quill, creeping, woody. 
Pseudo-bulbs sheathed at the base, one and a half to two and 
a half inches long, ovate-oblong, compressed, obtusely three 
to four ribbed, bright green, with two scarious basal sheaths. 
Leaves in pairs at the top of the pseudo-bulb, linear-oblong, 
obtuse, keeled, dark green. Scape five to nine inches long, 
stout, flexuous, pale green, streaked with purple; sheaths 
short, obtuse, closely appressed to the scape. achis includ- 
ing the connate bracts, flattened, four to six inches long, by 
three-quaiters to one inch broad, linear, much compressed, 
margin undulated, keeled down the middle in front ; era- 
dually narrowed below into the Scape; tip acute, with a 
stout mucro; colour a pale dirty yellow-green, sprinkled with 
red-purple, except along the borders of the bracts. Flowers 
a quarter inch long; buds acuminate. Sepals nearly equal, 
all broadly ovate, narrowed suddenly into long acuminate re- 
curved tails, streaked and speckled with purple. Petals rather 
shorter and much narrower, linear, acute, faleate, edged with 
purple. Jip ovate, obtuse, cordate at the base, recurved, 
mobile ; edges toothed from the base to the middle. Column 
short, wings triangular.—J/. D. H. 
- Fig. 1, Flower ; 2, front, and 8, lateral view of the same, with the sepals - 
removed :—all magnified. - 
