Tas. 4714. 
CALANTHE Graci.is. 
Slender Calanthe. 
Nat. Ord. OncHIDEH.—GYNANDRIA Monoe@ynia. 
Gen. Char. (Vide supra, Tas. 4541.) 
CaLANTHE gracilis ; scapis gracilibus multifloris basi alte vaginatis, labello basi 
saccato trilobo bilamellato, lobis lateralibus acutis abbreviatis intermedio 
subrotundo crispo indiviso. Lindl. 
Catantue gracilis. Lindl. in Wall. Cat. n. 7341. Gen. et Sp. Orchid. p. 251. 
A very little kyown Orchideous plant, hitherto only charac- 
terized by Dr. Lindley, from specimens gathered in Silhet by 
Dr. Wallich. Recently it has been sent by Drs. Hooker and 
Thomson, from Khasya, td the Royal Gardens of Kew, where it 
flowered in a warm stove in September, 1852. Our specimens 
were submitted to Dr. Lindley, who observes that this will pro- 
bably merge into the genus Limatodes of Blume; but he is un- 
certain whether the total absence of a spur in it is of any, at 
present unsuspected, importance. He further observes of this 
plant, as of other species of Calanthe, that when the flowers are 
wounded they become indigo-blue. 
Duscr. Terrestrial. Stems clustered, including the leaves, a 
foot and rather more long, lower part bare of leaves, thicker than 
a swan’s quill, jointed, partially clothed with sheathing scales : 
joints short. Zeaves confined to the upper portion of the stem, 
with rather long sheathing bases, lanceolate, the lowest ones 
broadly so, acuminate, tapering below, membranaceous, plicate 
and striated, mostly curved downwards. Scape or peduncle 
lateral, arising from a joint of the stem below the leaves, erect, 
more or less clothed with long, sheathing, brown scales or bracts. 
(The rest of our description is obligingly drawn up by Dr. Lind- 
ley from our recent flowering specimen.) “ Flowers greenish- 
yellow. Sepals and petals equal, distinct, ovate, oblong, acute, 
somewhat recurved, the petals and dorsal sepa’ being directed 
MAY Ist, 1853. 
