443 



Spathoglottis affinis, de Vriese. 



Spathogloftis affinis, de Vr., is a second addition to the Flora 

 of the Peninsula. This beautiful little terrestrial orchid, hitherto 

 known only from the mountains of Salak and Tegal in Java, was 

 found in 1919 by Mr. Mohamed Haniff on Kedah Peak, and has 

 since flowered freely in the Waterfall Gardens, Penang. 



The specimens were referred to Dr. J. J. Smith of Buitenzorg 

 for confirmation of the name, and he writes that he regards it as 

 correctly named *S'. affinis, but that the side lobes and the claw of the 

 midlobe are much narrower than in the Javanese plant, and that the 

 callus too is thinner. 



AcANTHEPiriPPIUM SYLHETENSE, Lindl. 



In the Gardens' Bulletin II, Xo. 2, 1918, p. 44, the genus Acan- 

 thephippinm was added to the flora of the Malay Peninsula; since 

 when a second species has l)een found south of the isthmus of Kra, — 

 this one in the Siamese Malay States. The second species is A. 

 sylhetense, Lindl., whicli was ])rought alive into the Waterfall 

 Gardens, Penang, by Mr. Mahomed Hanifl: from Bukit Kliaw Poh 

 near Kasum. 



The flowers of the plant from Si am are few, and just before 

 opening they are 1-J inches long from the tip to the base of the 

 bucket, with a maximum width of f of an inch. They are creamy 

 white with yellomsh lines where the sepals meet. They commence 

 their opening, by splitting between the lateral se]ials, and then give 

 off a faint pleasant scent. The tip of the labellum can be seen in 

 the opening. With further expansion the lateral sepals become 

 -obliquely revolute making Avith each other a wide V. The petals 

 outgrow the dorsal sepal and stand forward beyond it slightly. The 

 free parts of the sepals and petals are minutely dotted witli a ])ink, 

 which on tlie inside of the lateral sepals is somewhat collected into 

 five bands, the lowest (nearest to the line of contact between the hvo 

 sepals and so under the labellum) being very faint. The labellum 

 has the inverted saddle shape so characteristic of the genus ; the side 

 lobes which make the side flaps being of a flattened axe-shape, the 

 midlobe is tongue-shaped and curves doAvmwards. It is of a clear 

 buttercu]> yellow, and so is the part of the limb behind it, where are 

 three cre-ts, the lateral doulile toothed at the back. The rest of the 

 inside of the flower is creamy white, except that it is suff'used Avith 

 yellow in the base of the bucket. 



Lindlej's description of ^4. syllxetense says that it is inodorous, 

 gives the flowers a slightly greater size, and mentions no colour l)ut 

 white. But lie himself later united Griffitli's .4. ringitiorvm to his 

 A. sijlhetense; and Griffith says of A. ringiflorum that the white 

 sepals and petals are spotted within wtli reddish purple, particular- 

 ly towards their apices and that the linear concave stalk of tlie label- 

 lum is yellowish as also the mid lobe of the lip, which characters are 

 found in the Siamese specimen. Griffith says that there are 5 



