Tab. 7161. 



ANGRiECUM FRAGRANS. 



Native of Bourbon and the Mauritius. 



Nat. Ord. OrchidejE. — Tribe Vande^e. 

 Genus Angr.ecum, Thouars ; (Benth. & Hook.f. Gen. PI. vol. iii. p. 583.) 



AxgRjECTjm fragrans; caxxle crassitie penuse olorinie, foliis 3-4-pollicaribus 

 patenti-recurvis iinearibua lineari-obloogisve, apice 2-lobis lobia rotaa- 

 datis, pedunculis unifloris foliis brevioribus suberectis 2-3-vaginatis, 

 sepalis petalisque consimilibus patenti-recurvis linearibus obtusis albis, 

 labello nastato-lanceolato, calcare gracili decurvo sepalis piullo lougiore, 

 coiumna brevi lateribus subauriculatis, polliniis apicem versus stipitis 

 plani oblongi indivisi sessilibus. 



A. fragrans, Thouars Orchid. lies Afric. t. 54 ; ; A. Rich- Orchid. Maar. 69; 

 Lindl. Gen. & Sp. Orchid, p. 246. 



^Erobion fragrans, Spreng. Syst. Veg. vol. ii. p. 716. 



xEranthus fragrans, Heichb. f. in TValp. Ann. vol. vi. p. 899; S. Moore i,i 

 Baker Fl. Maurit. p. 350. 



The interest attached to this little orchid is due to the 

 persistent Vanilla-like odour of the leaves when dry, which 

 has led to its use as a tea in Bourbon, the Mauritius, 

 and even to some extent in France. According to a 

 notice in the Gardener's Chronicle (1850, p. 599) of an 

 article on this plant by a M. Gobley, communicated to 

 the Chemical Gazette, it is considered a digestive, and 

 even recommended in diseases of the respiratory organs. 

 The popular name is variously spelled Fahame, Faham, 

 Fahan, Fahon, Fahum, and Faam, of the origin of which 

 I have no information. It is a native of both Bourbon 

 and the Mauritius, from which last-named island plants 

 were received in 1887 at Kew, from Mr. Home, F.L.S., 

 director of the Botanical Gardens, Pamplemousses, which 

 flowered in January of last year, and were very sweet 

 scented. 



With regard to the genus sEranthus to which A. frag- 

 rant is referred by Reichenbach and in the Flora of Mauri- 

 tius, it is to be observed that it was founded by Lindley 

 as JSranthes (altered to JEranthus in Veg. Kingd.), for the 

 Dendrvbium Arachnites of Thouars (Orch. Afr. t. 88), and 

 another species, A. grand-iflora (Bot. Reg. t. 817 ; Bot. 



February 1st, 1891. 



