174 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1891. 



our hills, with large fringed, long spurred, pure white flowers, in a 

 tall spike, would prove a valuable addition to the collections at home, 

 where to my knowledge at least it is hitherto unknown, while 

 several other kinds of iJabenaria Fiuhfphia and other interesting 

 indigenous ground orchids flowering in the rains, might prove 

 valuable additions in our Ferneries. Of all ground-orchids cultivated 

 in Bombay, none can however equal the beautiful Phajus Wallichii 

 (Blelia Tankervillce), whose tall, often numerous spikes of very large 

 white, purple, brown, and yellow flowers often continue in flower for 

 4-6 weeks, and are freely and regularly produced. Phajus albus 

 (Thuuia alba) is a handsome tree orchid, with large delicate white 

 aud lilac flowers, appearing during the rains. The charmingly 

 beautiful Phalanopsis, of which PA. grandiflora with lovely pure 

 white flowers is the most common, and the pretty Saccolabiitm 

 (jiyan/eum with dense clusters of white and rose-coloured flowers, 

 almostnever fail to flower, while the not uncommon Vanda Roxburgh i 

 and Vanda teres very rarely flower in Bombay. 



All the plants hitherto mentioned belong to flowerless plants and 

 to one-seed-leaved plants, and form the vast majority of the plants 

 represented in our Ferneries. Two-seed-leaved plants are as a whole 

 but very poorly represented. One particular order however, that of 

 Begonias, is very fully represented by both flowering and ornamental 

 leaved kinds. Of the many handsome flowering kinds, Begonia 

 plat anif olio- with large white flowers and beautifully shaded leaves, 

 the delicate rose-flowered B. hydroeotijlcefolia, the creamy whit. 

 flowered B. manicata, the bronze-leaved pink-flowered B. erecta 

 multiflora, B. dipetala with its silver-spotted leaves and large pink 

 flowers, B. maculata( argyrosiigma) with white-dotted leaves and 

 pink flowers, and B, semperjlorens Saundersii with bright coral red 

 flowers, are a few of the most common. The list of ornamental 

 leaved kinds is naturally headed by the great number of varieties 

 sprung from B. Rex, to which the pretty B. Richardsiana Diadema 

 with silver-spotted lobed leaves, the broad-leaved and beautifully 

 marked B. rubella, the small velvety silver blotched B. imperialist 

 the metallic hued jB. emtallicd, the satin leaved silver-dotted 

 B. Olbia, the finely netted B. sceptra, the neat and compact habited 

 white-dotted P>. albo-picta, are valuable additions of recent 



