Tas. 8562. 
GONGORA arossa. 
Ecuador. 
ORCHIDACEAE. Tribe VANDEAE. 
Gonaora, Ruiz et Pav.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. iii. p, 549. 
Gongora grossa, Reichb. f. in Gard. Chron. 1877, vol. vii. p. 781; affinis 
G. atropurpureae, Hook., sed floribus maculatis et labelli cornubus 
obtusioribus differt. 
Herba epiphytica. Pseudobulbi aggregati, ovoidei, acute 8-angulati, 5-7 em. 
longi, basi vaginis ovatis membranaceis 2-3 cm. longis obtecti, apice 
diphylli. Folia elliptica vel obovato-elliptica, breviter acuminata, plicata, 
20-30 cm. longa, 6°5-9 cm. lata. Scapi arcuati et penduli, 45-60 cm. 
longi, basi vaginis paucis lanceolatis obtecti; racemi laxi, multiflori. 
Sepalum posticum oblongo-lanceolatum, acutum, basi columnae adnatum, 
apice recurvum, circiter 2°5 cm. longum, marginibus revolutis; sepala 
lateralia reflexa, oblongo-lanceolata, acuta, 2 cm. longa, marginibus 
revolutis. Petala falcato-incurva, ad margines columnae adnata, circiter 
1 cm. longa, apice aristato-acuminata etrecurva. Labellwm unguiculatum ; 
imbus angustus, carnosus, compressus, 5-lobus; lobus intermedius tri- 
angularis, breviter acuminatus, conduplicato-concavus, 6 mm. longus; 
lobi laterales longe subulato-aristati, 8 mm. longi; lobi inferi falcato- 
incurvi, lineari-oblongi, obtusi, 4 mm. longi; discus facie obtuse tricallosi. 
Colwmna incurva, 1°5 cm. longa, basi angusta, apice clavata, alis falcato- 
a Pollinia 2, clavato-oblonga; stipes linearis; glandula parvula. 
—R. A. Roxre, 
The remarkable Gongora which we here figure was 
originally described by the late Professor Reichenbach 
from a plant, which had been received from Ecuador, 
that flowered in the collection of the late Sir Charles 
Strickland, at Hildenley, Malton, nearly forty years ago. 
That plant appears to have been lost shortly afterwards, 
and there is no subsequent record of any other example 
having reached Europe, or of the species as existing in 
any collection, until in May 1913 a plant flowered at 
Kew. This plant, which has supplied the material for 
our plate, is one that was presented to the Kew collection 
by Mr. Walter Fox, late of Singapore, an old and tried 
friend of this institution. The plant had been met with by 
Mr. Fox growing on a Cocoa tree at Tenqual in Ecuador, 
when he was on a visit to that country in 1911. 
According to Reichenbach G. grossa is the only near ally 
Juny, 1914. 
