134 BOTANICAL INFORMATION- 



XIII.— BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 



Latest Intelligence from Mr Gardner. 



Villa de Arroyas, (12° 3' S. Lat. 47=- 3' W. Long.) 

 Province of Goyaz, 6th May, 1840. 



My Dear Sir, — Having but little that is very particular to 

 inform you of, it was not my intention to write from this place; 

 but as I am on the eve of leaving it, and as the post for the 

 city of Goyaz is expected to pass in a few days, I have thought 

 it better to give you some particulars respecting my labours 

 since 1 last addressed you, which was from the Villa de Nati- 

 vidade. I started from the latter place on the 10th February, 

 and reached this on the 27th. On the road I made some 

 splendid additions to my collections, such as several species 

 of the genus Dipltisodon, a most beautiful Epistephimn, an 

 upright herbaceous plant, about two or three feet high, which 

 would make a fine addition to the Orchidees already in cultiva- 

 tion in England, but that its roots are not of a nature to al- 

 low of it being sent home alive. I have, however, beautiful 

 dried specimens of it for all my subscribers. 



From Natividade I gav^e you some particulars respecting a 

 plant belonging to the same tribe which I had gathered there, 

 and which I have since found abundant in moist upland campos 

 in the neighbourhood. It will, no doubt, form a new genus, as 

 it differs from Vanilla m habit, and in its free labellum, and 

 from Epistephium by being ecalycalate. I have drawn up a de- 

 scription of it, as well as a smaller species of the same genus, 

 which I hope to be able to transmit to you, along with the spe- 

 cimens from Rio de Janeiro. As you have never sent me the 

 last part of Lindley's Orehidece, I cannot be certain whether the 

 genus be nondescript or not, but as he only gives Vatiilla and 

 Epistephium as all the genera contained in his order Vaml- 

 lacecB, in his Nat. Syst. of Botany (edition 1836,) I cannot 

 help believing that it is new. If so, I intend to name it in 

 lionour of my kind friend, J. E. Bowman, Esq., as the plant 



