1861 



* MORMODES atropurpiirea. 



Dark-purple Mormodes. 



GYNANDRIA MONANDRIA. 



Nat. ord. Orchidace^, § Vande^. 



MORMODES. Lindl. Sepalum superius subfornicatum, angustum ; 

 latercdia conformia reflexa. Petala latiora, conformia, erecta. Labellum sel- 

 leeforme, ascendens, trilobatum, subcuneatum, apiculatum, cum columna articula- 

 tum. Columna semiteres, mutica ; gynizus longus angustus ; clinandrium 

 postice acuminatum. Pollinia 4, per paria connata, caudlculse crassse affixa, 

 glandulffi carnosae crassae adhsErenti. — Habitus Cataseti. Lindl. Nat. Syst. of 

 Botany, ed. 2. p. 446. 



Mormodes atropurpurea. 



Pseudobulbi caulescentes, Cataseti fade, polyphylli, oblongi, hasibus 

 folioruni distantibus vaginantibus imbricati. Folia plicata (Cataseti), 3-5- 

 costati, erecti, apice recurvi. Racemus lateralis, densus, ohlongus, pedun- 

 culatus, pseudobulbo altior. Flores atropurpurei. Sepala lineari-oblonga 

 (Bqualia, reflexa, basibus lateralium paulo obliquis et ungui labelli adnatis. 

 Petala ovata, erecta, supra columnam conniventia. Labellum replicatum, 

 retrorsum arcuatum, circumscriptione cuneatum, leviter unguiculatum, trilo- 

 bum, lateribus defiexis venosis, loho intermedio magis carnoso, cuspidato, sub- 

 trilobo. Columna compressa, rostrato-acuminata, cum labello continua, 

 erecta, mutica, anthera postice rostratd, gynizo oblongo. Pollinia 4, per 

 paria connata, caudiculce subcucullatce adnata, glanduld concavd crassd. 



Sent to me in December last from the garden of John 

 Willmore, Esq. of Oldford near Birmingham, with whom 

 it then flowered for the first time. It had been imported 

 from the Spanish Main in 1834. It is a new genus, differing 

 from Catasetum and Myanthus in the want of cirrhi upon the 

 column, and from Monachanthus in its lip (fig. 1.) being 

 membranous and curved upwards, with the sides turned down- 



* From iiopfxij a frightful-looking object, a goblin, in allusion to the strange, 

 appearance of the flowers. 



