1290 



MICROSTYLIS* ophioglossoides ; /3. meocicatia. 

 Mexican Snake' s-tongue-leaved Microstylis. 



GYNANDRIA MONANDRIA. 



Nat. ord. Orchide^e. § Malaxidese Lindley : * Pleurothallese. 



MICROSTYLIS Nutt. — Sepala patentia, libera; lateralia basi sequalia 

 ssepius breviora. Petala patentia, linearia v. filifcrmia. Labellum pa- 

 tentissimum, cum columna angulum rectum formans, basi excavatum, 

 sagittatum v. auriculatum, integerrimum v. dentatum, tuberculis nullis. 

 Columna minima, raro paululiim elongata, apice dentibus seu auribus duabus 



instructa. Pollinia 4, collateralia. Herbae terrestres v. epiphytce, habitu 



Liparis, foliis plicatis v. memhranaceis, basi raro incrassatis. Flores 

 herbacei, nunc fiavescentes v. discolores. — Lindley, Genera and Species of 

 Orchideous Plants, part 1. ined. 



M. ophioglossoides ; caule unifolio, racemo obtuso capitato multifloro, labello 



tridentaio. I. c. 

 Malaxis unifolia. Michaux. 



Malaxis ophioglossoides. Willd. no. 3. Lodd. bot. cab. 1. 1146. excellent. 

 Microstylis ophioglossoides. Nutt. gen. 2. 196. 

 /3. mexicana ; caule pedali, racemo densiore, labelli dente media lateralibus 



minora. I. c. 



This genus was instituted by Mr. Nuttall, but with a 

 very erroneous description. It is, however, most distinctly 

 characterised, and has been since proposed by Dr. Blume 

 under the name of Crepidium ; and by Dr. Wallich, in his 

 manuscript papers, under that ofThyreochilus. Fourteen 

 species are known to us, of which tive are unpublished. 

 Malaxis monophyllos Willd. , diphyllos of Chamisso, umbel- 

 lulata and spicata of Swartz, acuminata of Don, Rheedii 

 Willd., Crepidium flavescens Blume, and Ophrys macro- 

 stachya Z/^/z;e, all belong to the genus. We shall give the 

 characters of these and other species in a work specially 



* So named from iji.ik(c<;, small, and (rrvXa?, a column ; in allusion to the 

 very small size of what is called the column in this plant. 



