BY THE REV. J. E. TENISON- WOODS. 61 



in Malaysia to denote an Orchid. The irregular flowers, how- 

 ever, demand a word of explanation. They differ from the 

 plan which prevails in the vegetable kingdom, and their organs 

 are arranged on a uniform plan of their own. This consists of 

 three sepals, between which are three petals, the two lateral ones 

 similar, and like the dorsal sepal, so called because it is placed at 

 the back of the flower. The third petal is the largest, and differs 

 in shape and hawS various appendages. Instead of having a style 

 and stamens like other flowers there is a body in the centre called 

 the column. The pollen is in wedge-shaped masses, two or more 

 in number, detached, or adhering by a stem. The stigmas are 

 confluent, in a hollow mucous disk. The ovary has one cell 

 opening eventually into six dry woody valves with horizontal 

 cells, three of which contain minute seeds in a loose netted skin. 

 The special peculiarities of the order are : — (I) the union of the 

 stamens and style into the column ; (2) the suppression of all the 

 anthers but one (except in Cypripeiium) ; (3) the peculiar condition 

 of the pollen ; (4) the development of one of the petals into a large 

 and peculiar form. 



Orchids are divided into seven tribes thus : — three with pollen 

 masses, namely, (1) MALAXiDEiE, with no stem or caudicle to the 

 pollen masses which are immediately applied on the stigmata ; 

 anther hanging down like a lid, usually deciduous (two, four, or 

 rarely eight) ; (2) Epidendre^, pollen masses with caudicle, but 

 no separable stigmatic gland ; (3) Vande^, pollen masses in two 

 pairs on a single or double caudicle attached to a gland. Four 

 tribes have powdery or granular pollen, namely, (1) Ophre^, 

 anther terminal, erect ; (2) Arethuse^, anther terminal, lid-like ; 

 (3) Neotte^, anther dorsal ; (4) CvpRiPEDEiE, anthers two. 



Orchids are tropical in this sense that they are more numerous 

 in tropical regions than elsewhere. The Malaxide^e prevail 

 principally in the Indian continent and Malaysia, being less 

 numerous in tropical America and the islands of South Africa. 

 They extend likewise to Australia and the Pacific Islands, but 

 are completely absent from the Mediterranean, extra-tropical 



