Tab. 7864. 

 CATASETUM quadridens, S, 



Native country ? 



Nat. Ord. Orcuide*. — Tribe Vande^. 

 Genus Oatasetum, Rich. ; (Benih. & Hoolc.f. Gen. Flant. vol, iii. p, 651.) 



Catasetum quadridens; pseadobnlbia ovoidela annulatis 3-5-pbyllis, foliis 

 6-12-pollicaribus oblongo-lanceolatis acuminatis 3 nerviis basi angustatis 

 l^ete vividibus, ijjjl. masc. scapo robusto pauci-vaginato cum racemo 

 multifloro decurvo pedali, rhachi robusta, floribus secuudig ascendentibus, 

 bracteis lanceolatis ^ poll, longis pedicelHs robustis duplo longioijbus 

 appressis, sepalis petalia conformibus pollicaribua oblongia acuminatis 

 viridibus maoulis magnis atro-parpureis ornatis, sepalo dorsali erecto, 

 lateralibns deflexis, petalis erectis sepalo dorsali oppositis, labello sepalis 

 panllo breviore breviter unguicalato lamina inflexa aurea purpureo 

 punctata ovata infra apicem obtnsum angustata, margin ibus infra 

 medium fimbiiato-dentafis, disco supra basin umbonato infra medium 

 depresso, columna clavata f poll, longa rostrata, clinandrio antice 

 2-dentato, rostelli antennis subulatia incurvis, anthera rostrata, polliniis 

 ellipsoideia, stipite lineari marginibus incurvis, glandula quadrata. 



C. quadridens, Bolfe in Kew Bulletin, 1901, p. 149; app. III. 1902, p. 80. 



Of this remarkably beautiful Orchid, the male plant only 

 is known. It was first described in 1898 by Mr. Eolfe, 

 from a plant purchased by the Eoyal Gardens, Kew, 

 at the sale of the Hon. Walter Eothschild's collection, 

 and it flowered in December of that year. The said 

 plant appears to have been a very poor one, for the 

 leaves were only about six inches long, and the sub-erect 

 scape bore four flowers. That here fi.:^ured was bought 

 for the Royal Gardens at an auction in 1900. It flowered 

 in the Tropical Orchid House in February of this year. 

 Its native country is unknown. Mr. Eolfe regards it as 

 nearest in affinity to G. cornutum, Lindl., Bot. Reg. vol. 

 xxvi. (1840) Misc. p. 77, and xxvii. t. 5, fig. 2 (flower) — a 

 native of Demarara. According to Lindley's description 

 and figure of the flower of C. cornutmn the two species are 

 very closely allied indeed, the chief difference being, that 

 Lindley describes the lip as green, with the whole margin 

 broken up into slender processes, and bearing a strict 

 iuflexed spur at the base, and that he does not describe 

 any teeth on the clinandriura. 

 November 1st, ltKJ2. 



