Tas. 6305. 
HOULLETIA prcra. 
Native of New Granada. 
Nat. Ord, OncH1pEx.—Tribe VanpEx. 
Genus Houtieria, Brongn. (Lindl. in Bot. Reg. 1841 t. 69). 
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Hovurtetra picta, pseudobulbis ovato-lanceolatis, foliis pedalibus petiolatis elon- 
gato-lanceolatis subacutis plicatis, pedunculo erecto robusto mutltifloro, 
floribus 3} poll. diamet., sepalis oblongis obtusis cinnamomeis a basi ad 
medium tessellatis, petalis sepalis concoloribus sed paulo minoribus, basi 
angustioribus, labelli epichilio late hastato apice lato recurvo canaliculato 
brunneo-tesselato angulis posticisin cornua acuta retrorsa productis, hypochilio 
subquadrato brunneo maculato, callo in foveam transversam utrinque acutam 
marginatam exeunte angulis posticis utrinque in calcar elongatum erectum 
columna parallelum producto, columna flava dorso maculata. 
H. picta, Lind. et Reichb. f. in Regel Gartenflora, 1855, p. 2; Walp. Rep. vol. vi. 
p. 616. | 
The genus Houlletia was founded by Brongniart on a 
Brazilian plant, discovered by M. Guillemin at Rio de Janeiro 
during his mission to Brazil in search of evidence concerning 
the cultivation of tea, and was named after M. Houllet, a 
gardener who accompanied M. Guillemin on his mission, and 
transmitted plants to the Jardin de Plantes. Singularly enough 
M. Brongniart gave no specific name to the plant he described, 
which is in all probability the H. Brocklehurstiana, Lindl. 
Sect. Orchid. t. 41 (tab. nost. 4072), of which we have native 
specimens gathered by Gardner on the Organ Mountains 
(Herb. n. 5871). From this, the original species H. picta, 
though coming from so distant a country, appears to differ 
very slightly, and chiefly in the more cinnamon-coloured 
larger flowers, and in the epichyle of the lip not being of a 
uniform dark violet hue but white and barred with innume- 
rable red-purple bands. The sepals and petals too are longer 
in proportion. Reichenbach, indeed, says that the flowers of 
H., picta are the smallest of the two, but this is not the case 
with our specimen. WH. picta was discovered by Schlim in 
JULY 1st, 1877. 
