382 VEGETATION OF LORD HOWE ISLAND, 



ORCHIDEiE. 

 Dendrobium gracilicaule, F.V.M., var. Howeanum, var.nov. 



I brought some plants of the Lord Howe Island D. gracilicaule, 

 and have watched their growth. The Lord Howe Island plant 

 is stouter than the normal species; the pseudo-bulb is swollen at 

 the place of attachment to the rhizone to a much greater extent 

 than I have observed it in the normal species. 



The inflorescence is more erect, and the individual flowers are 

 larger than those of D. gracilicaule. The blotches of purple seen 

 on D. gracilicaule appear to be entirely absent, the whole flower 

 (with the exception of the labellum) being of a pale cream colour, 

 lighter than that of gracilicaule. 



The labellum is marked with purplish lines the whole length 



from the base to the point; in gracilicaule the marking only 



extends half-way from the base. As a florist's flower it is of 



superior merit to D gracilicaide. I propose the name Howeanum 



for this variety. 



PALM^. 



Hbdyscepe Canterburyana, F.v.M. — I am now in a position 

 to ofier an illustration of the inflorescence of this palm. It has 

 not been previously figured, and Plates xxxii.-xxxiii. are from 

 photographs taken by Mr. Wm. Forsyth in the Sydney Botanic 

 Garden at the end of February, 1899. This is the first occasion 

 in which this palm has flowered in cultivation, I believe, and it 

 has arrived at an opportune time, as a large number of specimens 

 of the inflorescence collected and attempted to be preserved for 

 me on the island have arrived in Sydney in a bad state. 



From the flowers depicted in the photograph the following 

 description was drawn up : — 



Flowers bisexual, sessile in pairs or rarely single on the branches 

 of the panicle. Outer perianth-segments consisting of three short 

 acuminate segments, the inner ones more than twice as long, 

 ovate-acute, both of a pale yellow colour. Stamens 10-12, slightly 

 exceeding the perianth, with versatile anthers. Style rather 

 shorter than the stamens, with a small stigma (not trifid). Com- 

 pare B Fl. vii. 138; also my former paper, p. 139. 



