35 



41. DENDRObIuM Heyneanum. Gen. & Sp. Orch. p. 90. 



This very pretty species has flowered imperfectly with 

 Messrs. Loddiges, who received it from Bombay by the over- 

 land conveyance. Its exact locality was not before known, 

 the specimens in Heync's herbarium, where 1 found the 

 species, affording no information upon that point. In a 

 healthy state the plant forms a tuft of slender clavate stems, 

 from four to six inches high, loosely covered with the 

 withei'ed sheaths of leaves that have fallen off'. From all 

 sides there appear in the flowering season slender spreading 

 racemes about three inches long, having each from five to 

 nine smallish white flowers, with a greenish-yellow lip beau- 

 tifully streaked with violet ; they have no smell. 



'^ 42. 'LMLlk majalis. Lindl. mss. {Cattleya Grahami. Gen. & Sp. 

 Orch. 116.) 



This plant, the Flor de Mayo of the natives of San 

 Bartolo, and the adjoining parts of Mexico, has lately been 

 received by the Horticultural Society of London from Mr. 

 Hartweg, who found it on the mountains near Leon, growing 

 upon oak trees, at the height of 8000 feet, where it some- 

 times freezes. I possess specimens (No. 3.) given me by 

 Prof. Schlechtendahl, gathered by Dr. Schiede in the same 

 situations. It is one of the most beautiful of the whole order ; 

 a dried flower now before me, of a bright violet colour, mea- 

 sures nearly five inches from the tip of one petal to that of 

 another, and when fresh I have no doubt the expansion of 

 the flower was as much as six inches. The labellum is still 

 nearly two inches and a half long. Many plants of this mag- 

 nificent species have been given away by the Horticultural 

 Society ; but it proves exceedingly difficult of cultivation. 



43. OCTOMERIA tridentata; folio ovali-lanceolato crassissimo acute, floribus 



fasciculatis, labello oblongo basi angustato apice tridentato auricula utrinque 

 rotundata inflexa : lamellis obsoletis. 



A Demerara plant of no beauty. The flowers are bright 

 yellow ; the leaves are remarkably thick and hard. 



44. POLYSTACHYA affinis. Gen. et Sp. Orch. p. 73. 



This has lately flowered with Messrs. Loddiges, who im- 

 ported it from Sierra Leone. It proves extremely different 

 from P. puberula, of which I once thought it might be a 



E. Mat/, 1839. / 



