Tas. 8008. 
DENDROBIUM rectum. 
India. 
Orcuyrpaces. Tribe EripenpREs. 
Denpropium, Svartz; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. iii. p. 498. 
Pfitzer in Engl. & Prantl Pflanzenfam. vol. ii. 6, p. 173. 
Dendrobium (§ Eudendrobium) regium, Prain in Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng. 
vol. lxxi. p. 80; Ro/fe in Orch. Rev. vol. xii. p. 228; aff. D. nobilz, Lindl., 
sepalis petalisque concoloribus labello unguiculato limbo suborbiculato 
fauce luteo nec purpurato distincta. 
Herba epipbytica, dense cespitosa, 6-12 poll. alta. Caules cylindrici, nodis 
paullo incrassatis; internodia 1-1} poll. longa. Folia lanceolato-oblonga, 
obtusa, 2-4 poll. longa, 9-10 lin. lata; vagine tubulose, albido-venosz. 
Racemi axillares, breves, 2-3-flori. Flores speciosi, pallide roseo-purpurei, 
rubro-purpureo-venosi, labelli disco pallide luteo. Bractez late ovato- 
oblonga, obtuse, conduplicatea, membranacex, 3 lin. longes. Pedicelli 
graciles, circa 13 poll. longi. Sepala oblonga, obtusa; posticum 
1} poll. longum; lateralia panllo breviora, subfalcata. Petala ovata, 
obtusa, 1} poll. Jonga. Labellum basi unguiculatum; limbus suborbi- 
cularis, circa 1 poll. longus, basi convolutus ; discus puberulus. Columna 
lata, circa 3 lin. longa. Mentum saccatum, vbtusum, circa 4 poll. 
longum. 
The Indian species of Dendrobium are among the best- 
known of this large and polymorphic genus, more espe- 
cially the section Hudendrobium, which contains most of 
the species so popular in gardens, and at the present time 
it is rare to find any novelty of this section. The present 
species is one of the exceptions, and one of the most 
remarkable that has appeared for a long time. It was 
discovered in a locality somewhat vaguely indicated as 
Lower Hindustan, and it flowered in the Royal Botanic 
Garden, Calcutta, in 1901, and was shortly afterwards de- 
scribed by Lieut.-Col. Prain. A plant sent to Kew flowered 
in July last. D. vegium is more deciduous than D. nobdile, 
and the period of flowering much later. In habit, however, 
the two species are remarkably alike, so much so that, 
apart from the rather more prominent veins of the leaf- 
sheaths in D. reginm, it is difficult to distinguish them 
when out of flower. 
D. vegium grows well under the same conditions as the 
other deciduous Dendrobia, but, unlike them, does not 
Marcu Ist, 1900. 
