14 



the memoir above alluded to, which I had given to Baron 

 Benjamin Delessert, had by that gentleman been communi- 

 cated to the Academy of Sciences of Paris, upon which oc- 

 casion an interesting fact was added, which I am happy to 

 have this opportunity of repeating. It appears that as much 

 as ten years ago, a plant either identical with, or very 

 similar to, the Victoria had been discovered by M. D'Or- 

 bigny in a river in the province of Corrientes, whence dried 

 specimens had been sent to the Museum of Natural History 

 of Paris ; and that M. Bonpland had also remitted seeds to 

 M. de Mirbel, but they had not germinated. M. Adolphe 

 Brongniart stated that the plant is well known to the natives 

 of the country where it grows, by whom the seeds, as large 

 as peas, are used as food under the name of Water maize. 

 In the Comptes rendus it is remarked, that the distinctions 

 between Euryale and Victoria, " ne portent que sur de legers 

 caracteres," an opinion in which I need hardly say that I do 

 not at all concur. On the contrary, I think all the preced- 

 ing statements prove that I was originally right in asserting 

 that, notwithstanding a prima facie resemblance to Euryale, 

 Victoria is in fact more nearly allied to Nymphaea. 



14. LISSOCHILUS parviflorus. 



Gen. 8? Sp. Orch. p. 191. 



This rare plant flowered in December, in the collection 

 of Messrs. Loddiges, who obtained it from Algoa Bay. The 

 leaves were plaited like those of a Bletia, and varied in 

 breadth from half an inch to H inch. The sepals are a 

 dull greenish purple ; the petals were much broader, and of 

 a rich brownish red, rather strongly veined. The labellum 

 was yellow, with the lateral lobes light purple. 



Not to be compared in point of beauty with L. speciosus 

 and streptopetalus. 



15. EPIDENDRUM ochraceum. 



E ochraceum ; pseudobulbis obverse pyriformibus csespitosis sursum attenuates 

 1-3-pbyllis, foliis linearibus acutis recurvis scapo aequalibus, spica terminali 

 laxiflora, bracteis rigidis acutis squamiformibus, sepalis petalisque suboequa- 

 libus lineari-oblongis obtusis, labello postico sublibero trilobo medio cal- 

 loso : laciniis lateralibus inflexis truncato-rotundatis denticulatis intermedia 

 brevi emarginata, callo piano apice tridentato, columna apice tricorni denti- 

 culate), ovario triptero. 



