Tas. 7564, 
CYNORCHIS GRANDIFLORA. 
_ Native of Madagascar. 
Nat. Ord. OrncuipEa.—Tribe OpHrypEx. 
Genus Cynorcuis, Thou. ; (Benth. & Hook. f. Gen, Plant. vol. iii. p. 628.) 
CyYNoRCHIs grandiflorus; caule sesquipedali valido 2-pluri-floro, foliis radi- 
calibus paucis pedalibus elongato lineari-lanceolatis a medio ad apicem 
sensim angustatis supra glauco-viridibus subtus pallidioribus carinatis 
utrinque sed subtus precipue hic illic sanguineo striatis, bracteis 3-polli- 
caribus cylindraceis subinflatis acuminatis striolatis, ovario cum 
pedicello 4-pollicari rufo maculato, floribus fere 2 poll. expans., sepalis 
oblongis obtusis dorso viridibus sanguineo maculatis, petalis sepalis 
paullo minoribus faleato-oblongis obtusis albis, labelli ampli purpurei 
marginibus basi column adnatis, lobis lateralibus late cuneiformibus 
basi unidentatis, intermedio longiore in segmenta 2 linearia obtusa 
divaricata fisso, sinu acute, caleare crasso recto labello duplo longiore 
infra medium paullo inflato, antherarum tubulis rectis, columna dorso 
rostelloque retuso puberulis. 
Cynosorchis grandiflora, Ridley in Journ. Linn. Soe. vol. xx. (1884) p. 332, 
et vol. xxi. p. 514 (Cynorchis). 
Though no doubt a congener of Cynorchis purpurascens, 
recently figured in this work (t. 7551), C. grandiflora 
differs from that plant remarkably, not only in habit, but 
in the margins of the base of the lip being connate with the 
column, and forming with it a tube leading into the spur. 
Until the other species of the genus (of which there are a 
dozen described, and some undescribed in the Kew Her- 
barium) are critically examined, it is impossible to say 
what value should be given to this latter character. 
Cynorchis grandiflora was first described by Mr. Ridley, 
F.L.S., from specimens in the Britsh Museum, collected 
in Madagascar, at Ankafana, by Mr. Deans Cowan. It 
has since been found on damp rocks in various places in 
the central part of the island, by Dr. J. T. Fox, the Rev. 
R. Baron and Mr. Scott Elliott. Mr. Ridley describes 
two varieties as follows:—Var. a, purpwrea, inodorous, 
lip purple, spotted at the base; 8, albata, odoriferous, lip 
white, base purple. ‘I'he nearest ally is C. wniflora, Lindl. 
(which often bears several flowers) the bract of which is 
very much smaller. The plant here figured was obtained 
NovVeMBER lst, 1897, 
