Tas. 8470. 
LISSOCHILUS Anpersont. 
Tropical West Africa. 
ORCHIDACEAE. Tribe VANDEAE. 
Lissocarnus, FR. Br.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 536. 
Lissochilus Andersoni, Ro/fe in Kew Bulletin, 1910, p. 159; a L. Milsonit, 
Rolfe, sepalis lateralibus et labello brevioribus differt. 
Herba terrestris. Rhizoma moniliforme articulis ovoideo-incrassatis 2-3 em. latis. 
Folia 2, elongato-lanceolata, acuminata, recurva, plicata, 25-80 cm. longa, 
2-3 cm. lata, basi erecta, angusta et conduplicata. Scapi erecti, circiter 
50 em. alti, basi vaginis paucis lanceolatis obtecti; racemi laxi, 4-5-flori. 
Bracteae deltoideo-lanceolatae, acuminatae, 1-1°4 cm. longae. Pedicelli 
1-5-2 em. longi. Flores 2-2°3 em. longi, pallide sulfurei. Sepala sub- 
patentia, lineari-lanceolata, acuta, 2-2°5 cm. longa; lateralia apice sub- 
falcata. Petala erecta, parallela, elliptico-oblonga, subobtusa, 2 cm. longa, 
lem. lata. Labellum 3-lobum, 2°5 cm. longum; lobi laterales late oblongi, 
obtusi vel truncati, erecti, 1-2 cm. longi; lobus intermedius suborbicularis, 
obtusus, margine undulato et lateribus recurvis; discus carinis 5-7 verru- 
cosis pallide purpureis instructus; saccus conicus, obtusus, 4-5 mm. 
longus. Columna clavata, subcompressa, 1-2 cm. longa; anthera apicu- 
lata; pollinia 4, per paria plus minusve concreta, cerea, anthera dehiscente 
stipiti brevi glandulae latiusculae affixa.—R. A. Ronrs. 
The African orchidaceous genus Lissochilus is a large 
one; about one hundred species have been described. 
Many of these have been introduced into cultivation, but 
few of them thrive after the first year or two, owing to 
exhaustion following the act of flowering. This in turn is 
largely owing to the difficulty attending the imitation 
of the conditions under which most of the species naturally 
grow. The majority are found in open sunny positions 
which are converted into swamps during the rainy season, 
when the plants are in growth and produce flowers. These 
swamps during the hot season are completely dried up, and 
at this time the species of Lissochilus die down to a fleshy 
subterranean tuberous rootstock. L. Andersoni, the species 
which forms the subject of our plate, is a native of such 
localities on the Gold Coast, which has been collected at 
Aburi by Mr. J. Anderson and on the Afram plain by 
Mr. W. H. Johnson. A plant received at Kew from 
Mr. Anderson in 1908 flowered in the Orchid collection 
December, 1912, 
