68 



ANGRiECUM gladiifolium. 

 Sword-leaved Angrec. 



GYNANDRIA MONANDBIA. 



Nat. ord. Orchidace^, § Vande^. 

 ANGBJECU3I. Botanical Register, vol. 18. fol. 1522. 



A. gladiifolitim ; caulescens, foliis distantibus lanceolatis acutis, pedunculis 

 axillaribus unifloris, floris patuli phyllis omnibus ovato-lauceolatis 

 acutis, calcare gracili pendulo pedunculo subaequali. 



Orchis Mauritiana. Poir. diet. 4. 601. sec. Ach. Rich. 



Aerobion gladiifolium. Spreng. syst. 



Angraecum gladiifolium. Thouarsorch. afr. t. 53. Ach. Rich. orch. maurit. p. 

 69. Lindl. Oenera aiid Species of Orchidaceous plants, no. 5. 



A native of the islands of Bourbon, Madagascar, and the 

 Mauritius, where it seems to have been first met with by 

 Commerson. It was afterwards collected by Du Petit Thouars 

 and others, flowering in the month of February. Like the 

 greater part of the genus it is a plant of little beauty. For 

 the opportunity of making a drawing of it I am indebted to 

 Messrs. Loddiges. 



The figures 1 and 2 represent the pollen-masses, which 

 adhere each to a separate oblong gland, in which respect 

 this species differs essentially from A. ehurneum. It will, 

 however, be found that the greater number of Angrecs possess 

 two glands, either quite separate, or touching each other so 

 as to form a slight adhesion. To determine the real value of 

 this character requires a complete revision both of this and of 

 the neighbouring genera, particularly of Q^ceoclades, some of 

 the plants referred to which are certainly true Angrecs, as 

 for example CE. funalis and Retzii. 



Among the minute species of Angrec are many still 



