Tas. 6668. 
MICROSTYLIS merattica. 
Native of Borneo. 
Nat. Ord. OxcHipEm.—Tribe EprpeNnpRER. 
Genus Microstyuis, Nutt.; (Benth, et Hook.f. Gen. Pl. vol. iii. p. 404, ined.) 
Microsty1is metallica; caule brevi folioso, foliis e basi late vaginante sulcato 
ellipticis acutis 3-5-nerviis plicatis totis purpureis marginibus crispato- 
undulatis, scapo gracili sulcato remotifloro purpureo, bracteis parvis lanceolatis 
reflexis, floribus longe pedicellatis, pedicellis horizontalibus ad basin ovarii 
breviusculi decurvis, sepalis lineari-oblongis obtusis purpureis marginibus 
recurvis, petalis consimilibus sed paullo longioribus angustioribus et acutis, 
lubelli ambitu Jate obovato basi sagittato angulis acutis, antice rotundato eroso- 
dentato callis 2 minutis column antepositis, columna brevi superne dilatata 
truncata. 
M. metallica, Reichb. f. in Gard. Chron. 1879, vol. ii. p. 750. 
The tendency in the genus Microstylis to assume a deep 
purple colour, in the foliage especially, is a curious feature 
of many of its species; in the Ceylon M. discolor (Plate 
5403), which in foliage closely resembles this, the colour 
is confined to the leaf excepting its margin, and to the 
Scape ; whilst in the present species it pervades the whole 
plant with the exception of the column. The colours, 
however, vary in kind and intensity in the same species, 
being no doubt much influenced by the amount of light 
under which the plant is grown; thus, in the specimens of 
this species flowered by Mr. Bull, and described by Dr. 
Reichenbach, the leaves are blackish purple above and rose- 
coloured beneath, the scape violet, the odd sepal yellow, 
and the lateral ones rose-coloured on one side and yellow 
on the other. Prof. Reichenbach further remarks that 
after being plunged in boiling water and dried the leaves 
become green, and I find that in the racemes of flowers 
dried without boiling water the pedicels become pale green, 
and the perianth more or less yellow green. Microstylis 
metallica was communicated by Messrs. Low, of Clapton, 
JANUARY Ist, 1883, 
