93 



^Vallicll. The leaves are more than a foot long ; the scape 

 is terminal upon a large oblong pseudo-bulb, and is termi- 

 nated by a sheath formed of numerous imbricated bracts, out 

 of whicli appear eight or nine white flowers, stained with 

 3^ellow near the point of the lip, and having an unpleasant 

 smell, very like that of the Barberry blossom. 



152. BATATAS Letacea ; foliis ovatls cordatis angulatis ct subquinquelobis 

 acutis, racemo contiacto coniposito, sepalis acuininatis, tubo corollee limbo 

 circular! lonfjiore, radice fusiformi sano;uineu. 



This is a very handsome twiner, and seems likely to rival 

 Ipomcea HorsfaUicp, from which it differs not only in habit, 

 but in the colour of the flowers, which are a very delicate 

 pale violet, with a much deeper purple eye. A drawing of 

 it was sent me in March last by the Rev. J. B. Rcade of 

 Clapham, with a letter informing me that it had flowered 

 with his friend Mr. Waterhouse of Halifax, who " states that 

 the root is a tuberous one, and came accidentally among 

 some Orchidaceous plants from Demerara, and possesses the 

 peculiarity of being exactly similar to Beet Root, with the 

 same purplish red colour." Lately I again received a notice 

 of it, with a figure, and the following additional particulars, 

 from Mr. William May, Nurseryman, Ripon, who has it 

 for sale. 



" The Gardener to Mr. Waterhouse says that it is a most 

 profuse bloomer, and prefers the cool part of the plant stove ; 

 he states that he tried two plants of it, the one at the cool 

 end near the door and farthest from the fire, and the other 

 at the warmest end nearer the fire ; in the former of which 

 he finds it succeed much better and bloom much more freely 

 than at the end nearest the fire. From this circumstance he 

 thinks it will be a greenhouse and not a stove plant. Since 

 it has been in my possession I have had it in various tempe- 

 ratures, and find it prefer the greenhouse, where it has plenty 

 of air ; but having had it only two months during summer, 

 I am not authorized in saying it is decidedly a greenhouse 

 plant." 



153. ODONTOGLOSSUM Clowesii; pseudobulbis ovalibus diphyllls, foliis 

 ensiformibus angustis erectis scapo longioribus, racemo paucifloro corymboso, 

 bracteis minimis setaceis, sepalis petalisque lanceolatis jequalibus, labelli 

 cordati medio constricti apice subrotundo acuto basi lamellis 5 ina;qualibus 

 abruptis quincuncialibus aucto. 



A very handsome Orchidaceous plant, for which I am 



