6 



DENDROBIUM sanguinolentum. 

 Blood-stained Dendrobium. 



GYNANDRIA MONANDRIA. 

 Nat. ord. Orchidace^, § Malaxe.e. 

 DENDROBIUM Smarts. 



Sect. EuDENDROBiUM. Caulis teres. Folia plana. Flores membra- 

 nacei patuli. 



D. sanguinolentum (Lindl. in Bot. Reg. 1842. misc. 73.) ; caulibus teretibus 

 pendulis, foliis ovato-lanceolatis, floribus gemellis, sepalis petalisque 

 ovatis obtusiusculis patulis, labello trilobo glabro : laciuia intermedia 

 retusa nunc utrinque plicata ; ungue concavo brevi appendice cornu- 

 formi pubescente retrorsa aucto. 



Probably there is no plant among all the species of 

 Dendrobium now known to our gardens which is more deli- 

 cately beautiful than this. Its colours too are so singular as 

 on that account alone to render it an object of much interest ; 

 for here we have the cvanic and xanthic tints in one and the 

 same flower. We are always prepared to find red spots on a 

 yellow ground, or vice versa, but it is a most unusual thing to 

 find clear pure violet on petals the whole remainder of whose 

 tint is yellow. In this plant, however, the combination oc- 

 curs, producing a very gay and unexpected effect. 



It was sent from Ceylon, to His Grace the Duke of Nor- 

 thumberland, by Mr. Nightingale, and flowered at Sion in 

 August last. It has pendulous stems like those of D. 

 Pierardi, but of a delicate purple when young ; the leaves 

 too are stained underneath and at the edges with the same 

 colour. The flowers are as large as those of D. aggregatum, 

 of a clear fawn colour, with the tips of the segments and lip 

 stained with a deep rich violet. There is moreover a scarlet 

 spot in the middle of the lip. 



Fig. 1. represents the outline of the lip of this plant. 

 Fig. 2. shows the form of what I take to be a variety, larger. 



