Tab. 6338. 



KOELLESTEINIA graminea. 



Native of British Guiana. 



Nat. Ord. OrchideyK. — Tribe Vaxdeje. 

 Genus Koellensteinia, Reickb.f, {Walp. Ann. vol. vi. p. 551.) 



Koetxensteinia graminea ; csespitosa. acaulis, pseudobulbis 0, foliis i~l poll, 

 latis gramineis acuminatis, racemo interdum basi composito 6-8-floro, 

 perianthio campanulato stramineo brunneo fasciato, sepalis oblongis ob- 

 tusis, lateralibus paullo majoribus basi breviter connatis, petalis consimilibus, 

 labello unguiculato 3-lobo, lobis lateralibus erectis dimidiato-oblongis 

 obtusis, terminali latiore quam longo truncato, tuberculo disci carnoso trun- 

 cato postice bilobo. 



K. graminea, Rchb.f. in Bonpland. Oct. 15, 1850 ; Walp. Ann. vi. p. 552. 



Maxillaeia graminea, Lindl. in Bot. Beg. xxi (1886) sub. tab. 1802. 



A very elegant Guiana orchid collected by Schomburgk, 

 and described by Lindley in 1836 under Mazillaria, from 

 specimens procured by Messrs. Loddiges. Since that period 

 the genus Koellensteinia has been established upon various 

 species of Maxillaria by Eeichenbach in ' Bonplandia.' All 

 of them are South American, and natives of the mountain 

 regions of Guiana, Venezuela and New Grenada. Another 

 Demerara species, K. tricolor, Lindley, is very closely allied 

 to this, differing in the greenish sepals and petals which have 

 no transverse band. 



K. graminea is a well-known plant in cultivation, and the 

 specimen from which the accompanying drawing was made 

 flowered in the Eoyal Gardens in January of the present 

 year. 



Descr. Sims densely very short, tufted; pseudobulbs 

 none; roots stout. Leaves grass-like, four to six inches 

 long, 'by a quarter to one third inch broad, gradually attenu- 

 ated' at both ends, acuminate, slightly keeled, nerves very 



JANUARY 1st. 1878. 



