times all the three are united into a tube or vase In Cypripedium the lateral ones are perfect, and 

 inclosing the other parts of the flower, as in Aggti- the posterior rudimentary, and in Euphroboscis (No. 

 antkus. These variations supply generic characters. 1732) they are all three perfect and distinct! Here 

 The posterior sepal is usually free, variously shaped, also we find variations. The anther is terminal, erect, 



'or turned down on, and very slightly adherent to, the 



apex of the column, or adnate ; or it is dorsal, appa- 

 rently owing to the elongation of the apex of the 

 stigma, or rostellum, as it is called ; or, as in the case 

 of Oxysepala (No, 1736), and some others, both fila- 

 ment and anther are free. 



The pollen, like all other parts of the flower of this 

 curious family, is subject to modifications and, for 



sometimes spreading but oftener erect, more or less 



boat-shaped and then forming a sort of hood or hel- 

 met (galia) over the column, as if to protect it from the 



weather, whence it is occasionally said to be galiate. 

 The three petals are placed within and alternate 



with the sepals, the posterior or odd sepal having 



the pair of petals next it, that is on the posterior 



aide of the flower. They, like the other parts of the 



flower, vary in size and form, sometimes larger some- the purposes of classification, its variations are most 



important It is either powdery or granular, or com- 

 posed of a definite number of little waxy masses 

 (PoUinia) which on removal of the cells of the an- 

 ther, or what I shall, in reference to its position, call 

 the anther cap, are seen lying on the apex of the 

 column either altogether distinct, or cohering by 

 means of some cellular matter, forming a strap-like 

 body (caudide) through the medium of which it is 

 connected with the stigma (placed in front of the 

 column); sometimes the strap is furnished with, or 

 rather adheres firmly to, a disk-like gland of the 

 stigma, but which readily separates from it, with the 

 caudicle. The following extract on the application 

 of the pollen to the classification of the order, with 

 which I shall conclude these notes, I take from 

 Lindley's " Vegetable Kingdom." 



" In classifying this order, the most important char- 

 acters appear to reside in the pollen, which in many 

 is consolidated into firm waxy masses of definite 

 number in each species, and in others is either in its 

 usual loose powdery condition, or is collected in 

 ranules, or small wedges, the number of which is 



times smaller than the posterior sepal : they are some- 

 times conformable in size and shape ; at others very 

 different, as in the case of some of the Habenarias, 

 where we find them divided into segments, nearly 

 to the base: occasionally they approach the poste- 

 rior sepal and combine with it to form the helmet; 

 and in some rare instances they are wanting as in 

 Monomeria (a genus I have not yet seen) and jipe- 

 talon (No. 17581, in such cases their absence furnishes 

 good generic cnaracters, and their variations, excel- 

 lent specific ones. 



The anterior petal or lip presents no end of varia- 

 tions nearly all of which are pressed into the service 

 in the construction of genera. It is large or small; 

 membranous and petaloid or herbaceous, or fleshy; 

 spreading or folded, constricted or jointed in the mid- 

 dle, (hence hypochile fftr the lower half, and epichile 

 for the upper, and mesochile for the middle) ; simple, 

 entire, or variously lobed ; furnished with a spur or 

 without one ; furnished with glands, hairs, plates, 

 (lamina) or crests or plain ; and lastly very generally 

 differing either in kind or intensity of colour from 



the other parts of the flower- In a word, so numer- Far too great to be counted. Of those with waxy 

 pus and various are the modifications of the lip that pollen masses, some (malaxes) are destitute of any 

 it^seems quite impossible to classify them, but nearly visible processes by which the masses are brought 



into contact with the stigma ; others (Epidendre<B) 

 have strap-shaped caudicles which are either bent 



all are employed in the description of an orchideous 

 flower, and so constantly that any description of one 

 without special reference to this part would be most down upon the masses themselves, or serve to hold 



incomplete. them together, without, however, forming any organ- 



The column, which is placed in the centre of the ized union with the stigma ; while the remainder 

 flower, is a compound body composed of the sexual {Vandetje) have a caudicle which adheres firmly to a 

 apparatus of the flower cohering into a single central 

 body. It varies considerably in form, being some- 

 times long, sometimes short ; erect or oblique, and in 

 the latter case often furnished at the base with a 



gland found on the upper margin of the stigma, and 

 separating freely from that organ. The genera with 

 powdery, granular, or sutile pollen cannot be clas- 

 sified so conveniently by modifications of that part, 



process or sort of spur to which the lip is attached but are readily divided into three natural tribes by 

 and to which, when present, the lateral sepals very 

 often cohere. It is produced by the union of the 

 stamens and pistil, and presents several variations 



noted in generic characters. The apex is very gen- 

 erally flattened or more or less concave for the re- 

 ception of the anther, whence the term clinandntiyn, 

 or anther bed, which in such cases is applied to it. 



Orchids have three stamens, but, except in a very 

 few genera, two of these are rudimentary and only 

 one perfect All the three, along with the style, are 



peculiarities of the anther. In some (Ophrect) the 

 anther is erect, not hinged to the column, but continu- 

 ous with it, and stands above the stigma, the pollen 

 masses having their points directed to the base of 

 the lobes of the anther; in others (Artthustfz) X\\^ 

 anther is hinged to the column, upon the end of 

 which it is placed transversely like a lid; and in 

 others (J\/eotte<E) it is also hinged to the column but 

 is stationed at its back, so as to be nearly parallel 

 with the stigmatic surface. If to this we add that 



usually incorporated in the column; but the poste- Cypripedc<B have two anthers while all the others 



rior one only is, with the few following exceptions, 

 perfect. 



have one only, we find the order divided into seven 

 tribes of which the following is a tabular view. 



I. Anther one only. 

 A. Pollen masses toaxy 



iparable stigmat 



'land. 



3 gi 

 I. Malaxeee. 



I distinct caudicle, but no separable stigmatic 

 gland. II. Epidendre<B. 



t distinct caudicle, united to a stiRmatic gland 



III* Vmdea. 



B. Pollen powdery^ g 

 a. Anther terminaJ 

 6- Anther terminal 

 c. Anther dorsal. 

 II, Anthers two. 



sectile, 



IV. Ophrece. 



V. Arethus€<B 



VI. NeoUecE. 



VII. Cypripedeee, 



( a ) 



