bear a pendant, solitary flower, of which all the segments 
of the perianth are placed in a manner so regular as to ap- — 
pear campanulate. Five of these are nearly equal in size 
(the petals), pale yellow-green, ovato-acuminate, veinless, 
the points a little recurved. The sixth division, or lip, is 
oblong, rather obtuse, a little shorter than the petals, 
waved, bright-yellow, with two, incurved, lateral, rounded 
lobes near the base, and two oblong, bright, red-brown tu- 
bercles between them. Column small, yellow, semi-cylin- 
drical, a little curved forward. Anther broadly ovate, 
covering eight, obovate or clavate, yellow, waxy pollen 
masses, attached to a small gland, lying on the base of a 
white membrane which covers the top of the stigma. 
This very curious orchideous plant, which has much the 
habit and mode of growth of a Fern (what we here call the 
root being analogous to the stipes, or a creeping stem,) 
was introduced to the Royal Gardens at Kew, from the West 
Indies, in 1793, by Rear Admiral Buicu. The specimens 
from which our figure and description were taken were sent 
to the Glasgow Botanic Garden, in 1826, from the island of 
St. Vincent, by the Rev. L. Guitpinc. They flower in the 
stove in April, and the blossoms yield a delightful fra- 
grance, most powerful in the evening. 
In the situation of the flowers, at the base of a solitary 
leaf, this plant has much affinity with the PLevroTHALuis 
ruscifolia, figured in Exotic Flora, t. 197; but, on a care- 
ful examination of the flowers, they will be found to be 
quite different in structure. Here the petals are all distinct, 
and the pollen masses are eight in number, which have 
given origin to the generic name, Octomeria. 
Fig 1. Flower. 2. The same with the Perianth a little forced back. 3. 
Lip. 4. Summit of the Column bearing the Anther. 5. The same, the 
Anther lifted up, still attached at the back of the Column, to shew the Pollen 
Masses, and the membrane at their base. 6. Pollen Masses :—Al/ more 07 
less magnified, : 
celine 
