Tas. 7094, 
‘PLEUROTHALLIS opnara. 
Native of Mezico. : 
Nat. Ord. OncnuipEx.—Tribe EprpenDREX. 
Genus Prevrotnatuis, Br.; (Benth. et Hook.f. Gen. Pl. vol. iii. p. 488.) 
PLEUROTHALLIS ornata; cespitosa, acaulis, foliis parvis breviter petiolatis 
ellipticis subacutis v. apice 3-denticulatis crasse coriaceis, pedunculis 
foliis longioribus gracilibus, racemis‘elongatis erectis laxifloris flexuosis, 
bracteis tubulosis appressis, floribus parvis pedicellatis, sepalis e basi 
erecta patenti-recurvis subzequalibus ellipticis obtusis fusco-flavidis cre- 
berrime rubro-maculatis appendiculis elongatis hyalinis pendulis mar- 
ginatis, petalis falcatis subspathulatis obtusis, labelli ungue gracili, 
limbo oblongo obtuso basi cordato disco basin versus callo compresso 
instructo, coiumna superne in alam galeatam denticulatam dilatato. 
P. ornata, Reichb. f in Witten. Gartenzeit. 1882, p.106; F. Oliver in Nature, 
vol..xxxvi. (1887) p. 303. ‘ 
The genus Pleurothallis is one of the largest amongst 
Orchids. In the Genera Plantarum it is credited with’ 
about 850 described species, and a considerable number 
of undescribed. In respect of number it ranks below two 
only, Hpidendrum and Habenaria, each of which boasts of 
400; but when its wider range of country, minute size, 
and inconspicuous flower are taken into account, it may 
well be that it will eventually prove to dominate over all | 
other genera of the Order. In the Catalogue of all known 
names of described plants up to the year 1885, which is 
being prepared at Kew for the new Nomenclator, and which 
botanists will owe to the liberality of Darwin, upwards of 
six hundred entries under the genus Pleuwrothallis will be 
found. As might be expected, the arrangemént of so vast 
a concourse of species, many of them ill or imperfectly 
defined, into subordinate groups, is a matter of great 
difficulty. Lindley in the “Folia Orchidacea”’ proposed 
ten sections, founded almost entirely on habit, of which 
go many appeared to Bentham to be unnatural combina- 
tions, that on a revision of the species he has (in Gen. 
Plant. iii. 488) rearranged them under seven sections. 
P. ornata in Lindley’s classification. belongs to the’ — 
_ © Jaxvary Ist, 1890. 
