THE ORCHIDS OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY. 91 



ovary, flowers about 2 inches broad, exceedingly variable in coloration, 

 sepals linear, oblong acute, petals shorter, many-nerved, lip shorter 

 than the sepals, lateral lobes low, rounded, midlobe quadrate, channelled 

 at tip, disk with about 10 raised lines, margins crisped. 



The following are descriptions of varieties of the flowers of this 

 species found by Mr. Spooner and myself on the Belgaum Ghats : — 



1. Sepals dark velvety brown, narrowly margined with light 

 yellow, acute, one-third longer than the obtuse petals which are of a 

 ruddier tinge. Lip cf the same colour. Peduncle brown below, 

 greenish above. 



2. Sepals green, longitudinal nerves purple, petals pale yellow, lip 

 pink, lateral lobes yellow suffused with purple, nerves of disk and 

 lateral lobes with purple ridges. 



3. Sepals green, slightly purple at base, petals a lighter green, lip 

 altogether white, spur with a green suffusion. 



4. var. nov. spooneri. Sepals green, striated with purple, petals 

 yellow, uniformly suffused with brown on the back, lower half of the 

 inner surface brown, lip rose purple, ridges on disk a darker purple. 



5. Sepals dark green, shaded with brown on both sides, the external 

 surface almost purple brown, petals greenish white, striated with 

 brown on the inner surface, base of the lip green, lateral lobes green 

 striated with brown, midlobe white striated with purple, centre of lip 

 with a blotch of pale yellow. 



6. Sepals pale green, lightly shaded with purple brown on both 

 surfaces, petals white, striated with pale green. Lip white. 



As variety 4 is perhaps the finest and most striking of the series I have dedi- 

 cated it to Mr. Spooner who has generously assisted me by sending many 

 rare orchids in flower. 



This species flowers in the month of May and is abundant in the forest of 

 the Belgaum and North Kanara Ghats. Sir J. D. Hooker suspected that there 

 must be more than one species, so great are the differences in the colour of 

 the flower ; but, so far as I have seen, the plant varies but slightly in the form 

 of the parts of the flower. The tubers vary considerably in size, but that may 

 be due to soil and age of the plant. 



Distribution. — Eastern Himalaya, Assam, Khasia Hills eastward to Burma, 

 the Western Ghats to the southward and Ceylon. 



(To be continued.) 



