an undescrihed Genus of Orchideous Plants. 295 



supra stigma dilabentibus conflatae, pallide stramineae; granulag ultimae 4-ternatim 

 aggregatae. Ovarium obovato-turbinatum, angulis rotundatis obsolete triquetrum, facie 

 labellari subcomplanatum, crassum, pedicello duplo longius, ferrugineo-fuscum, circiter 

 4 lineas longum, constans segmentis 6 in serie unica coUateralibus marginibus ad com- 

 missuram attenuatis : segmentis costalibus placentiferis duplo angustioribus ; placentae 

 incrassatae, extiis fascia olivacea manifestae, multiovulatae. Stigma basin columnae 

 occupans, ejusdemque faciei parallelum, constans superficie secernente viscida convexa 

 prominula circumscriptione ovata, medio verticaliter linea obscura bipartiente percursa, 

 basi marginibus columnae confluentibus cincta, pallide ferruginea, sursum in fasciam 

 discolorem ligulatam nee viscidam inter margines columnae in rostellum excurrentem 

 producta : rostellum transverse oblongum, truncatum, prominulum, simplex, inter dentes 

 columnae laterales oblique porrectum, subtiis callo incrassatum. Capsula coriacea, 

 oblongo-ovoidea, turgida, circiter 8 lineas longa, 4-5 crassa, perianthii et columnae reli- 

 quiis marcidis coronata, trivalvis, rimis 6 verticalibus fenestratim, ut solitb, dehiscens, 

 costis segmentis placentiferis duplo angustioribus. Semina scobiformia, minutissima, 

 numerosissima, integumento alato utrinque attenuato reticulato laxo obtecta. 



This genus, named Gamoplexis from the cohesion of the perianth-segments, 

 is casually noticed, from a communication in a letter, in Dr. Royle's ' Illustra- 

 tions,' p. 364, and is thence inserted in Dr. Lindley's monograph on the order 

 without a detailed character. It is allied both in habit and structure to the 

 Gastrodia of Brown from New Holland, and to the Epiphanes Javanica of 

 Blume, as described by that botanist ; but it is sufficiently distinct from both 

 in the cohesion of the labellar segment with the tube of the perianth ; and 

 constitutes the only example hitherto ascertained in the order, so far as I am 

 aware, of the union of all the divisions of both whorls of the floral envelope 

 into a monophyllous perianthium. 



Gamoplexis appears to be a true parasite, but after a peculiar fashion, which 

 disguises the habit. The tuberous rhizoma emits no root-fibres by which to 

 fix itself on other plants, but is itself matted over by their slender rootlets, 

 which ramify upon it in every direction, slightly imbedded in its surface, to 

 which they adhere with great tenacity, especially to the scarious margins of 

 the abortive sheath-annuli, giving rise to the appearance of the plant being 

 the subject of a parasitical growth rather than a parasite itself. This I observed 

 in numerous instances ; but other cases occurred to me in which the surface 

 of the tubers presented no appearance of the kind ; and Unger, in his memoir 



