Tas. 8785. 
BULBOPHYLLUM Hame tint. 
Madagascar. 
ORCHIDACEAE. Tribe EpIpENDREAE. 
Buipopuytitum, Thouars; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. iii. p. 501. 
Bulbophyllum Hamelinii, Rolfe in Orch. Rev. 1902, p, 284; ibid. 1904, p. 268 ; 
species insignis, pseudobulbis latis et valde compressis, foliis et inflores- 
centiis magnis distincta. 
Herba epiphytica, grandis; rhizoma breve, validum, lignosum. Pseudobulbi 
_sessiles, aggregati,! obcordato-orbiculares, valde compressi, 7-10 cm. 
diametro, basi vaginis ovatis acutis imbricatis obtecti, apice diphylli. 
Folia elliptica vel obovato-elliptica, obtusa, 40-75 cm. longa, 7-12 cm. 
lata, valde coriacea, basi subattenuata. Scapi axillares, arcuati, validi, 
40-75 cm. longi, vaginis numerosis spathaceis imbricatis obtecti; racemi 
subpenduli, 10-14 cm. longi, densiflori; bracteae late ovatae, subobtusae, 
concavae, 1°3-1°8 cm. longae; pedicelli validi, 0°5 cm. longi. lores 
mediocres, numerosi, purpureo-suffusi et maculati, labello atropurpureo. 
Sepalum posticum elliptico-ovatum, 1°2 cm. longum, apice recurvum et 
subobtusum ; sepala lateralia ovata, acuta, concava, 1:2 cm. longa, basi 
connata.  Petala deltoideo-subulata, acuta, 4 mm. longa. Labellum 
elliptico-oblongum, subobtusum, recurvum, carnosum, 0-7 cm. longum, 
facie et margine papillosum; discus bicarinatus. Colwmna lata, 4 mm. 
longa; dentes triangulares subacuti, 1 mm. longi.—R. A. Ro.re. 
Bulbophyllum Hamelinii was first found in Madagascar 
a quarter of a century ago. Living plants were sent by 
Mr. Hamelin to Messrs. Sander and Sons, St. Albans, 
and in 1893 a note in “Garden and Forest” (p. 336) 
detailed the leading features of the species—its large 
size, its curious pseudobulbs “ like some great flat marine 
shell,” its erect scape “thick as one’s finger” and a foot 
and a half long, and the large number of flower-scars 
along the upper portion of the scape. When that note 
was written the flowers had not been seen, and it was 
not until August, 1902, that a plant acquired by the 
Royal Botanic Garden, Glasnevin, produced an inflores- 
cence which enabled a description of the flowers to be 
prepared. The note from Sir F. W. Moore which accom- 
panied this inflorescence indicated that the plant hardly 
OcropeR-DECEMBER, 1918. 
