428 Transactions. — Botany. 



Spencer, who, although on the eve of leaving for England, 

 gave himself considerable trouble in searching for the plant, 

 and was rewarded with success. I am indebted solely to 

 him for the opportunity of examining good specimens, which, 

 although differing in one or two points from the Australian 

 plant, must be identified with 0. campestris, E. Br. 



The specimens of this plant figured on t. 106a in Hooker's 

 " Flora Tasmaniae " represent a somewhat robust plant with 

 a very short leaf, little more than a sheathing bract, several 

 cauline bracts, and a short broad labellum, clothed with a red 

 fringe on the margins and surface, except at the short beak-like 

 point, which is naked. The Eotorua plant differs in having 

 a long broad basal leaf, and one or two sheathing cauline 

 bracts, and especially in the longer labellum, with its long 

 naked flexuous tip, and the upper portion of the labellum 

 clothed with large red calli. Mr. Fitzgerald's fine drawing in 

 "Australian Orchids" represents the habit and structure of 

 the New Zealand plant exactly, but differs in the coloration, 

 the calli and fringes in all the Eotorua specimens seen by me 

 being of a deep velvety red throughout, and showing no trace 

 of blue or even of purple. 



The Eotorua plant is usually robust, 9in. to 18in. high, with 

 a leaf from one-third to two-thirds. the length of the stem, fin. 

 to fin. broad, and one or, less frequently, two sheathing cauline 

 bracts. Flowers 3-6 ; pedicels, exceeded by the acuminate 

 sheathing bracts, ^in.-l-|in. long. Sepals 4-5 lines long, upper 

 broadly ovate, almost galeate, lateral narrow^er, rather strongly 

 veined ; lateral petals shorter ; labellum fin. -fin. long, termi- 

 nating in a narrow flexuose naked tip, strongly fimbriate on 

 the margins and upper surface for two-thirds of its length 

 above, most of the upper portion being covered with rather 

 large naked calli, which gradually pass into hairs on the 

 expanded portion of the labellum ; above the calli is a 

 small naked bar which is slightly thickened. The column is 

 furnished with two short broad wings reaching to slightly 

 above the stigma, and broadly rounded in front, with a large 

 intramarginal gland at the base of each wing ; anther bent 

 forward and projecting, so that the base of the pollen-masses 

 projects beyond the rostrum, and comes in close contact with 

 the stigma even before the flower is fully expanded, thus 

 insuring self-fertilisation. Pollen-masses 2, clavate. 



