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Van da Roxburghii. Chequer-flowered 



Vanda. 



Class and Order. 



Gynandria Monandria. 



Generic Character. 



Labellum calcaratum, cum basi simplici (breviusque pro- 

 ducta) columnce apteral continuum,, triMum, lobo medio car- 

 noso. Petala patentia, distincta. Massed pollinis 2, oblique 

 bilobae. Brown in Bot. Reg. n. 506. Intrat orchidearum 

 sectionem IV am - ejusdem authorise in Horti Kewensi editione 

 altera v. 5, p. 205, propositam, quibus anther a terminalis, 

 mobilis, decidua ; massce pollinis demum cereaceae. 



Specific Character and Synonyms. 



Vanda Roxburghii; ovariis contortis, petalis oblongo-ovatis 

 undatis, foliis oblique tridentatis. Brown in Bot. Reg. 

 n. 506. 



Cymbidium tesselloides. Roxb. ic. inedit. 



Vanda. Sir William Jones in Asiat. Res. 4. p. 302. 



This beautiful parasitic plant is a native of Bengal, where 

 it grows more especially, but not exclusively, on the Man- 

 go-Tree. In common with many other parasitical plants 

 of tropical countries it puts forth long root-like tendrils, by 

 which it attaches itself strongly to the trunk or branch ; but 

 these organs probably do not perform the office of roots, or 

 that of drawing nourishment from the juices of the sup- 

 porting tree ; for this plant, like many others, appears to 

 be, as Sir William Jones observes, a true air-plant, and 

 will live and thrive in a pot without earth or water. 



Sir William Jones refers to Epidendrum retusum of 

 Linn^us as a synonym of this plant, but it is certainly very 



distinct 



