18 ORCHIDS OF JAMAICA 



(1703) & PI. Amer. {Hum,.) L83, /. L88 (1758). V. rolubilis 



siliquosa Mexicans plantaginis folio Catesby N<tf. Hist. ('anil. 



Ajyp.t. 7(1743). V. anaromatica Griseb. op. cit. 638. Epidendrum 

 Vanilla, L. in Herb. (PL 2, f. IG.) 



On trees, in rocky woodland; in M. I ><<., in fr. March-Aug. ; /'. Browne 

 tin Herb. Linn.)! Manchester, Purdie\ J.P. 4<il (2614) Symel Claverty 

 Cottage, J.P. 461, Hart ! in Swift River course, near Hope Bay ; near Troy, 

 2600ft.; Harris \ Middle Quartos, Farquharson 1 Pedro, St. Ann, Sir II. 

 Blake I 1. Jam. 8555,8829. Cuba, Hispaniola, Porto Pico, Guadeloupe, 

 Dominica, Martinique, Grenada, Trinidad, Mexico, Nicaragua, B. Guiana, 

 Surinam. 



Sh m leafy, somewhat thick, 8 mm. br., shrivelling to 5 or 6 mm. in 

 drying ; internodes 3-5-10 cm. 1. Leaves 10-20 cm. 1., 5-10 cm. br., nerves 

 numerous, prominent in drying. Racemes axillary, with G or 7 sessile 

 flowers, to 15 cm. 1. Bracts usually 1-3-2-5 cm. 1., sometimes to 8 cm. 1. 

 Ovary | as long as sepals, or nearly as long, cylindrical. Flowers greenish, 

 with white lip with orange-yellow crest, perianth lf-2 in. 1. Sepals and 

 petals lanceolate to lanceolate-oblong, somewhat obtuse, 5 cm. 1., to 1*5 

 cm. br. Lip 3-lobed, nearly as long as sepals and petals, united to column 

 only a short distance at base (about 5 mm.) ; lateral lobes oblong, obtuse, 

 median lobe spreading and then erect, ovate-oblong, subacute ; disk 

 3-keeled, without a tuft of hairs, 4 - 5 cm. 1., about 3 cm. br. (when flattened 

 out). Column 2-5-3 cm. 1. Capsule slender, elongate-linear, slightly 

 tapering at apex, not fragrant, 12-18 cm. 1. 



3. V. Wrightii Beichb. f. in Flora xhiii. 273 (1865); leaves 

 shorter than the internodes, ovate or elliptical, shortly acuminate, 

 shortly stalked, papery. Griseb. Cat. Cub. 267 ; Bolfe op. cit. 

 454 ; Cogn. op. cit. 321. V. claviculata Lindl. in Ann. & Mag. 

 Nat. Hist., ser. 3, i. 334 (1858), non Sw. Vanillas piperis arbori 

 jamaicensis innascens PluJc. Aim. 381, t. 320,/. 4. (PL 2, f. 17.) 



Climbing over trees; in fl. March, in fr. August;' Mt. Airey, near 

 Mt. Moses, 2300 ft., J.P. 2088, Symel Bull Head, Hart\ Tweedside; Mt. 

 Moses, 2200 ft. ; Harris ! Fl. Jam. 7885. Cuba, Trinidad, B. Guiana, 

 Surinam. 



Stem leafy, slender, 3-4 mm. br., shrivelling to 2 mm. in drying; inter- 

 nodes 5-10 cm. 1. ; roots 2-4 from the same node. Leaves, nerves numerous, 

 prominent in drying; blade 4-7 cm. ]., 2-3 '3 cm. br., stalk 5-12 mm. 1. 

 Racemes axillary, with 5, or more, sessile flowers, to 7 cm. 1. Bracts trian- 

 gular, obtuse, half-clasping, 5-7 mm. 1. Ovary about J as long as sepals, 

 cylindrical. Floivers, perianth 2-2^ in. 1., with dark reddish sepals (in 

 bud reddish-brown). Sepals elliptical-lanceolate, obtuse, 4- 7 to about 

 5 cm. 1., 8-9 mm. br. Petals keeled, 4-7 cm. 1., 7 mm. br. Lip entire, 

 united to column about 2 cm. above base, roundish-obovate, shortly acute, 

 margin crenulate, with ramentaceous hairs on the disk especially along 

 the central line, about as long as the sepals. Column 3- 7 cm. 1., hairy 

 below the stigma, winged on each side of anther. Anther somewhat 

 rectangular in outline. Capsule elongate, linear, somewhat flattened, 

 slender, slightly tapering at apex, 12-14 cm. 1., 4 mm. br. 



Reichenbach describes the lip as " apice bilobulo (disco lsevi?)"; 

 Grisebach as " barba destituto," and Rolfe as "disco leevi." Wright, 

 quoted by Lindley, says of his Cuban specimen (672) : ' ' Flowers light dull 

 red. Labellum light-yellow with a white margin. Column adhering to 

 the labellum more than half its length, reddish towards the base." 



