how close is the general resemblance of the two species. 
Information kindly supplied by Messrs. Sander and Son, 
St. Albans, indicates that all the plants of B. Eriessonii 
now in cultivation belong to the original importation by 
that firm in 1893, and suggests that B. L7ricssonii has 
only been collected once. The history of B. sociale, now 
figured, may therefore be regarded as identical with that 
of B. Eriessonii which was forwarded to Messrs. Sander 
from Bencoolen, on the western coast of Sumatra Its 
locality should therefore be somewhere in the district in 
which fafflesia Arnoldi was discovered. The collection 
made in this district by Sir Stamford Raffles and his 
friends Messrs. Arnold and Jack was lost in 1824 owing to 
a fire at sea. No serious attempt has ever been made to 
replace it, and very little is known of the flora of the dis- 
trict in which B. Ericssonii and its companion, B. sociale, 
appear to have been obtained. The species with which 
B. sociale appears to be most comparable is B. galbinum, 
Ridl., a native of the Malay Peninsula, which, however, 
has spreading, not converging, perianth-segments. At 
Kew &. sociale is grown in a tropical house, and does well 
under the cultural treatment suitable for B. virescens, 
J. J.Sm., and other Malayan species. 
Descrirtion.—Herb, epiphytic; rootstock stout, creeping, clothed with 
ovate, subacute, striate, imbricating membranous sheaths ; pseudobulbs distant, 
ellipsoid-oblong, compressed, 2}-2? in. long, 1-1} in. wide, beset at the base 
with ovate acute sheaths, Leaf solitary to each pseudobulb, petioled, elliptic 
or elliptic-oblong, apex subacute and recurved, rather firm, 5}-7 in. long, 
2-23 in. wide; petiole 3-1 in. long. Scape erect, 4-4} in. long, with ovate 
acute basal sheaths; raceme about 5-flowered; bracts elliptic-lanceolate, acute, 
concave, §-$ in. long; pedicels 3-1} in. long. Flowers showy. Sepals: 
posterior erect, elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate, 13-14 in. long, concave; lateral 
somewhat connivent, with elliptic ovate base and narrowed acute apex, 1}-1} 
in. long. Petals somewhat connivent, triangular-ovate, acute, slightly falcate, 
3-} in. long. Lip long-clawed; claw incurved, oblong, somewhat dilated at 
the base, about } in. long; limb recurved, cordate-ovate, rather blunt, fleshy, 
about 3 in. long. Colwmn wide, i in. long, with a broadly triangular acute 
tocth near the apex on each side. 
Tas. 8761.—Fig. 1, a flower with the sepals removed ; 2, column; 3, anther- 
cap; 4, pollinia :—all enlarged. 
